Voiceless, She Cries: Part One
by beautifulpurpleflame
Summary: Raven seems to be the only one who didn't have the best time on their mission vacation in Tokyo. But why was that? What had made her so grumpy the whole trip? Ravens secrets are slowly revealed. BBxRae
1. A Secret Pain

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 1

The team sat in the common room, watching a slideshow of their trip to Tokyo. After saving the city Robin had let them enjoy them selves and have a real vacation. They had taken dozens of pictures and Cyborg had put together a great slide show for them to watch.

"Awe, Rob and Star's first kiss caught on film," Cyborg chuckled as they all viewed a picture of the new couple sharing a quick kiss as they went sight seeing.

"Did you really have nothing better to do than take pictures of Star and I kissing?" Robin fumed, his cheeks burning.

"Oh, but I enjoy the photographs of our kissing," said Starfire happily.

"I could live without them," said Raven in her monotone voice. She was currently reading a book and trying to ignore the slideshow that was taking place. She, personally, hadn't taken any pictures. It had been quite a boring trip, for her at least.

Cyborg clicked a button and the next picture came up. It was of Beast Boy signing autographs for about two hundred girls.

"Dude, I _so_ wanna move to Tokyo," said Beast Boy, putting his hands behind his head and smiling.

"Yeah, who knew the only girls who like BB live on the other side of the world?" Cyborg mused.

"Hey, I don't see any pictures of fan girls kissing you," said Beast Boy.

Cyborg shrugged and moved onto the next picture. It was of the entire team on a stage doing karaoke. They each had a microphone and were singing away. That had been one of the most enjoyable nights they had had. Well, for everyone other than Raven. She had had the least amount of fun out of all of them.

"Okay, we so gotta go out and do some more karaoke," said Beast Boy.

"Oh, yes, that was quite fun!" said Starfire, clapping.

"Yeah, never knew how tone deaf Robin is," laughed Cyborg.

"Hey, I never claimed I could sing," said Robin defensively.

"And Star was awesome," said Beast Boy. "She was almost as good as me."

"Who said you were any good?" asked Cyborg.

"Uh, about three thousand girls, that's who," said Beast Boy proudly.

"Would you two stop it?" said Robin. "We all had a good time. It doesn't matter who was good or not."

"Only someone tone deaf can say somethin like that," Cyborg grinned, causing Beast Boy to chuckle.

"Hey, at least I attempted to sing," said Robin. "I didn't just yell into the microphone."

"I didn't yell!" said Cyborg. "I was projectin."

"Dudes, calm down," said Beast Boy. "We all know the title of 'Worst Karaoke Singer' goes to Raven."

The whole team turned to Raven, who just seemed to burry herself further into her book. She didn't want to think about that stupid night of karaoke. They had no idea how much it pained her. But, how could they know? She wasn't about to tell them why.

"For the record, I didn't sing," said Raven, not looking up from the pages of her book. "I simply recited the lines on the screen."

"Yeah, but you could have at least had a little more fun with it," said Beast Boy.

"I don't do fun," said Raven.

"But, Raven, we were on the vacation," said Starfire.

"Yeah, you barely cracked a smile once," said Cyborg.

"You guys can take a vacation from being yourselves, I can't," said Raven. "If I can't smile here, where I'm most comfortable, what would make you think I would smile in a foreign land?"

"Well, you didn't have to smile, but you could have at least looked like you were having fun," said Robin. "You just moaned and groaned every day we were there."

"Not to mention beat the snot out of me," said Beast Boy.

"Raven, if you were not comfortable in the land of Tokyo doing the karaoke, then would you be more comfortable doing the karaoke here?" asked Starfire.

"No," said Raven plainly.

"But why?" asked Starfire.

"Yeah, no one'll make fun of ya, if that's what you're afraid of," said Cyborg.

"Look, would you all drop it?" Raven growled, growing uncomfortable.

"Come on, Raven, if I can do it then you can do it," said Robin with a kind smile.

"Yeah, I mean, we all know you can't sing," Beast Boy chuckled.

That was it. That was what pushed her over the edge. That was what caused her heart to clench and a sick feeling to consume her. She gritted her teeth, and slammed her book shut. She swiftly got up and headed out of the common room, forcing her emotions to stay under control. But it was, oh, so very hard.

"Uh… did I say something wrong?" asked Beast Boy, scratching his head.

"What do you think?" said Cyborg, crossing his arms.

"Beast Boy, I believe you have done the hurting of Ravens feelings," said Starfire.

"But I didn't mean to," said Beast Boy, feeling bad. "I mean, she knows she can't sing, right?"

"It doesn't matter," said Robin. "You shouldn't have said it to her face like that."

"Dude, Cyborg said it to you!" said Beast Boy.

"That's because I know he can take a joke," said Cyborg. "You should know better than to say anythin hurtful to Raven."

"But I meant it as a joke!" said Beast Boy.

"Still, I believe you should go do the apologizing," said Starfire.

"Awe," Beast Boy sighed and rolled his eyes as he stood up from the couch and dragged himself out of the common room.

He seemed to apologize to Raven more than anyone else. And this didn't make sense since she did more to him than he to her. Like that trip to Tokyo. She seemed to seriously hold something against him on that trip. And she couldn't get enough of slapping him; and slapping him hard, at that.

He reached her door and sighed again as he knocked upon it. "Raven? It's me. Look, sorry about hurting your feelings," he said, rolling his eyes. "I know I shouldn't have said that you can't sing. I just didn't know that was a touchy subject." He listened but didn't hear her respond. Instead he heard… sniffling? "Uh, Raven, you okay?"

Raven wiped her eyes and shook her head; she had never been so disgusted with herself. How dare she cry?! How dare she feel sorry for herself? How dare she think of the past? She had been doing so well. And in an instant she had allowed herself to remember that which pained her every day.

And now Beast Boy was apologizing on the other side of her door. Well, it was his fault she was crying. He had to say that… that… statement. No, he didn't say it out of malice, she knew that. And he didn't know how much talking about her voice hurt her. But, still, it was a mean thing to say.

"I'm fine," she said, her tone never wavering. "Go away."

"You sure?" he asked. "You sound like you're… crying or something."

"I said go away," she said firmly, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Look, I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that," said Beast Boy, now feeling bad. "And I really didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying," said Raven as two more tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Then why are you sniffling?" he asked.

Raven was quiet for a moment. "Allergies?" she offered.

"You don't have allergies," he said. "Even _I_ know that. Now, come on, tell me what's going on. I mean, we are friends. You can talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," said Raven. "Now leave me alone."

Beast Boy huffed and seriously considered walking away. He didn't want to be here, arguing with someone who didn't like him anyway, when he could be watching a slideshow of one of the best vacations he'd ever had. But there was something odd about all of this.

Sure, he had said things to her in the pass that weren't exactly… compliments. Like how she wasn't a people person, how she was dark, or how she was… creepy. And whenever he said something like that she would glare at him or give him a good smack upside the head. But this time… she had run out of the room and was possibly crying. All he said was that she couldn't sing. How was that the worst thing he could have ever said to her?

"Raven, would you please tell me what's wrong?" he asked. "You never get this upset over something _I've_ said. So… why are you so upset?"

"It's got nothing to do with you," she said in a somewhat soft tone. "Just… just go back to the others and watch the slideshow. I'll be fine."

"Wait, so you're crying but it's not my fault?" he asked.

"Yes," she said without thinking. "I mean, no! No, I'm not crying. Just go away now."

"Uh ha!" he exclaimed. "You are crying! Come on, tell me what's wrong."

Raven was quiet for a moment then said in a sad voice, "You wouldn't understand."

"What? I wouldn't understand what?" asked Beast Boy, feeling like he was finally getting somewhere.

Raven didn't want to talk about this, and yet at the same time she did. She was sick of keeping everything about herself bottled up inside. She was sick of feeling like no one understood her only because she wouldn't let them. The truth was… she _did_ want to share all of this, if only with one person.

Beast Boy wasn't sure what she was doing. It had grown quiet again and he was wondering if she had fallen asleep or jumped out her window. Then, suddenly, her door swished open and she stood there, the remnants of her tears still visible, even if she had tried to wipe them all away.

"Beast Boy, if I were to tell you something about me, about my past, could I trust you not to tell anyone else?" she asked, the most serious she'd ever been.

"Of course," he said, suddenly realizing this was a serious subject.

"Do you promise?" she asked. "You won't tell anyone, no matter what?"

"Sure, my lips are sealed," he said with an awkward grin and fake zipped his lips.

"Even if Robin was forcing you or Cyborg was going to blackmail you or Starfire was threatening to call you a chlorbag varblernelkagain, you wouldn't tell?" she asked.

Beast Boy had never seen her like this before. "Raven, whatever you wanna say, I promise I won't repeat it to another living soul," he said, going a little closer to her. "You can trust me."

Raven thought this over for a moment then opened her door a little wider. "Come in," she said, a hint of worry in her voice. She still wasn't sure if she could trust Beast Boy with such information, but he seemed sure of himself.

Beast Boy carefully made his way into Raven room, unsure of what was going to happen next. He had only come down to apologize to her, now she was about to reveal something secret about herself. Not in a million zillion years did he see something like this happening. Raven, herself, was going to talk to him… alone… about herself. He hoped this wasn't some horrible prank.


	2. The Angel of Azarath

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 2

Once Beast Boy had entered her room he was flooded with memories. He had only been in her room a few times in all the years they had been Titans. And each time had been under… interesting circumstances. Whether it was being sucked into a mirror or watching a dragon explode through the roof, one could never predict what would happen upon entering Ravens room.

"I see you haven't done any redecorating," he said nervously. He saw one of her statues and went over to touch it. A hand quickly slapped it and he pulled away.

"Please don't touch anything," said Raven in a tired voice. How many times did she have to tell him her belongings weren't toys?

"Sorry," he said, putting his hands behind his back before his curiosity could get the better of him again.

Raven walked over to her bed and sat down. "Please, sit," she said, indicating to her bed.

Beast Boy slowly and cautiously walked over to her bed, still suspecting that this was all some prank, and then sat down. He swung around so he could face her, the two sitting opposite each other.

Raven couldn't believe she was about to do this. She was about to open up. She had only done this with one other person, Starfire, and even then she had only told her the basics of her life. She hadn't even told her about her father. When it all came out later, Starfire had asked Raven why she hadn't told her. All Raven could say was that she had hoped that the prophecy would never come true and she wouldn't have to.

"So… what is it you wanna tell me?" asked Beast Boy, feeling uncomfortable in the silence.

Raven sighed and began. "You know how my voice is low and gravely and basically unpleasant?" she said. Beast Boy gave her an uneasy look. "It's alright, I'm not going to get upset."

"Are you sure?" he asked, nervously. Raven nodded. "Okay, yeah, your voice is kinda like that."

"Well… what if I told you that it wasn't always like this?" she said. "What if I told you it used to be really… nice?"

"It was?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "In fact," she said, giving a soft, sad laugh, "Azar, the woman who took care of me, said I had one of the loveliest voices ever."

"Wow," said Beast Boy, upon hearing this. "I mean, uh…"

"It's okay," said Raven. "I know, it seems impossible, right? I mean, you would never have guessed that I used to be able to… sing."

This certainly caught Beast Boy's attention. "Really?" he asked.

Raven let herself smile softly and she nodded. "I would join the monks of Azarath when they would sing," she said. "I really liked it and everyone seemed to enjoy hearing me."

"Wow, I wish I could've heard you," said Beast Boy. "So, uh, what happened?" he asked this cautiously, hoping not to hurt her feelings again.

Raven sighed and knew that once she began there would be no turning back. "Well, word got out about… my voice," she said. "And many people came to hear me. Some even claimed it had a sort of healing, unnatural quality. Once it was even referred to as… angelic. So, naturally, I gained a sort of popularity. The people, they called me The Angel of Azarath. And, for the first time in my life, people forgot that I was the offspring of Trigon the Terrible."

"Whoa, now I really wish I could've heard you," said Beast Boy with a smile.

Raven smiled softly, but it quickly dissolved into another look of sadness. "But it also attracted others who were jealous. Including a girl by the name of Adrienne. Before… it happened, I had never heard of her. I later found out that she's a drifter, a gypsy girl. She travels between various dimensions, taking what she wants and destroying things she can't have so that no one else can have it as well. And the moment she heard my voice, she knew she was going to take if from me, one way or another."

"So, she like, stole your voice?" asked Beast Boy.

"Well, yes and no," said Raven. "She came and attempted to steal it from me, but not even her most powerful spells could take my voice and replace her own, nor could she create a voice that would be identical to mine. To this day, I don't know why. Any voice can be stolen or copied with the right spell. But, for some reason, my voice was immune. Not even Azar could tell me why this was. And when Adrienne realized she couldn't have my voice that meant that I couldn't have it either.

"I can still remember the day she cornered me and began to rant and rave. Adrienne was, and most likely still is, a dark soul. And, being as such, she can sense others. She saw that half of my soul is dark, and that was all she needed. She confronted me when I was alone, away from Azar my protector. She told me that such a beautiful voice did not belong to someone who was the daughter of evil. And, since only half of my soul was pure, then I only deserved half of my voice."

Beast Boy listened intently as Raven spoke and he saw how hard it was for her to recall such memories. And by this point, he saw the beginnings of tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He didn't like to see anyone upset, especially not one of his friends. So he instinctively placed his hand on hers.

"Raven, you don't have to go on if you don't want to," he said in a comforting voice.

"That's okay," said Raven. "I want to go on."

"Okay," he said, gently taking his hand back.

"Well, what Adrienne did, was she took the better half of my voice," said Raven. The she seemed to drift off as the memory came back to her. "I can still hear her voice in my head, reciting words I had never heard before as she conjured up the spell. I was so confused, so frightened. I tried to get out of there, to get help, but I couldn't control my emotions long enough to summon my powers correctly. I did nothing and I let her do what she wanted with me.

"It felt like a cold hand had wrapped around my throat, trying to choke me. I remember struggling to breathe and falling to my knees, crying. And then the magic ripped away, taking half of my voice with it. It was such an excruciating pain I can barely begin to describe it. Just imagine your throat being torn out and being replaced with a ball of fire."

As she described the scene her hand went to her throat and she rubbed it as the memory flooded through her mind. She had never experienced pain like that before or ever again. She had even passed out soon after.

"I saw her place my voice within a small blue orb no larger than the size of a marble that hung on a silver chain," said Raven. "She placed it around her neck, with dozens of other necklaces that already hung on her, and disappeared, taking the better half of my voice with her," said Raven. "Leaving me sounding like… this."

"I don't get it, what do you mean by the better half of your voice?" asked Beast Boy.

"No one's voice is perfect," said Raven. "Sometimes they can be breathy or scratchy or gravely or too high or too low. So, what I was left with was the low, gravely part of my voice. She also took my voice's personality, leaving me monotone. That's why I sound the way I sound."

"So, what happened to Adrienne?" asked Beast Boy.

"I don't know," said Raven, shrugging sadly. "Once she had my voice she left our dimension and has yet to be tracked down."

"But, if we found her, we could get the other half of your voice back, right?" he asked.

"I suppose," said Raven. "Unless she traded it to someone for something she wanted. Either way, I doubt I'll ever get my true voice back."

"Why would she trade it if she wanted it so badly?" he asked.

"She only got half of my voice, and unless she gets my whole voice, she can't replace her own. It's all or nothing."

"Mind if I ask something?" he asked, sheepishly.

"No," said Raven.

"Well, how old were you when this happened?" he asked.

"It was right before I came to Earth," said Raven. "A mere few months before we met."

"Shoot, then I just missed it," he said with a small smile and snapped his fingers dramatically. He couldn't help but try to lighten the mood. Raven gave him a ghost of a smile, but looked down sadly.

"So… now you know why I got so upset when you said that I… couldn't sing," she said.

"Jeez, Raven, I'm so sorry," he said, really feeling bad about it all. "No wonder you were crying."

"I wasn't crying," she said, standing by her lie.

"Well, anyway, thanks for sharing this with me," he said genuinely.

"Thank you for listening," said Raven. "For once in your life."

He gave her a smile, happy to hear her making fun of him again. Then, his brow furrowed as he thought. "So, uh, why don't you want the others to know?" he asked. "I mean, it's not really embarrassing or anything."

"I don't want people to feel sorry for me," said Raven plainly. "I know I've been through horrible things in my life, but that doesn't mean I want people's pitty."

"Yeah, I feel the same way sometimes," said Beast Boy, nodding. "But, I'm sure if you told everyone and then said for us not to feel bad for you, we wouldn't."

"You can say that you wouldn't, but none of you would look at me the same way again," said Raven. "I know that _you_ won't look at me the same way again."

Beast Boy opened his voice to object, but the truth was… he wasn't going to look at her the same way again. He would always wonder what she really sounded like. What would she sound like if she yelled at him in her real voice? What did Raven sound like singing? Boy, he really wanted to hear that.

"Well, again, thank you for telling me all of this," said Beast Boy. "And… thank you for trusting me. I mean, I thought you really hated me, what with how much you've been yelling and hitting me lately."

"Yeah… sorry about that," said Raven, hugging her knees. After revealing all of this information about herself she felt quite vulnerable and out of her comfort zone.

"Why _have_ you been beating me up lately?" he asked.

"I… I don't know," said Raven, though she knew this to be a lie.

"I mean, you _really_ let me have it when we were in Tokyo," he continued. "It was like every time I opened my mouth you would slap me. Not to mention all of the times you yelled at me for like no reason. I think I've still got bruises, actually."

Raven wanted him to leave now. She wasn't about to get into why she had been so short tempered with him on their vacation. "Yes, well, look, I'd like to get some meditation in before I go to bed," she said.

"Oh, uh, I'll leave you, then," he said, getting off of her bed. "And, don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," she said and lifted into the air, getting ready to meditate.

Beast Boy took one last look at her and quickly headed out of her room. As he closed her door and walked back to the common room, he felt slightly smug for some reason. Raven had trusted him with information, with a secret of her past. No one else would ever know the knowledge she had shared with him. And that made him feel… special.

"Hey, where the heck did you go?" asked Cyborg.

"Yes, the show of slides is finished," said Starfire.

"Oh, I was just, you know, apologizing," said Beast Boy.

"It never takes you that long to apologize," said Robin.

"Yeah, well, she was really upset by what I said," said Beast Boy. "But, we're cool now."

"Well that's good," said Cyborg. "Want me to put the slideshow back on?"

"Sure," said Beast Boy, sitting back down on the couch. After all that Raven had told him, he was ready to have his spirits lightened again.

**If you'd like to see an illustration I've done of Raven and Adrienne on Azarath, go to my profile and you can find the link from there.**


	3. An Allergy to the Mall of Shopping

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 3

Almost everyone loved the mall, or as Starfire put it the 'mall of shopping'. Of course there were the select few who didn't care for the mall. And then there was the even smaller percentage who hated it. And in the T tower lived both extremes. Starfire loved the mall and Raven hated it.

But somehow the two girls always ended up there. This was mostly because Starfire begged Raven to the point where she had to go just to shut her up. But that didn't mean Raven enjoyed herself at all. She simply followed after Starfire like a chaperone and did her best to avoid trying on clothes or jewelry or makeup.

"Oh, Raven, is that skirt not pretty?" asked Starfire, clasping her hands and staring into a window display.

"Yeah, it's real nice," said Raven, rolling her eyes.

"May I try it on?" asked Starfire.

"No," said Raven, walking away.

Starfire sighed, but her spirit was quickly lifted when she saw another store with another piece of clothing she fancied. "Ooh, let us go over there!" she said excitedly, grabbed Ravens hand, and led her over to the next store.

Raven groaned and wished she were anywhere else. She hated crowds for various reasons. People were slow, ignorant, selfish, and to have them in a closed environment was nearly unbearable. But, the biggest reason she hated the mall was because she could feel all of the people's emotions. The mall was able to provoke some pretty strong feelings from people, and it flustered her and gave her a headache. All of their emotions put an enormous amount of pressure on her brain.

"Raven, do you not think that shirt would look most adorable on Robin?" asked Starfire looking into a men's clothing store window display.

"Whatever," Raven sighed.

"Please, may we go get the iced cream from the court of food?" asked Starfire.

"Starfire, you've got five more minutes before I'm heading home," said Raven, crossing her arms. "Do what you want."

"There is only five minutes left in our hanging out at the mall of shopping time?" asked Starfire with wide eyes. "I believed there was more. Oh, we must do more of the window shopping!" She grabbed Raven again and quickly pulled her further into the mall.

Starfire flew through the mall with poor Raven being dragged behind her. Her head was throbbing and she wished she had some aspirin on her. As she was being pulled along by Starfire she felt every emotion of every person she passed. She felt like she was going to explode from emotional overload.

Finally the time was up and Raven was off the hook. Starfire was going to stay behind, but she would at least walk Raven to the mall's exit. She loved to spend time with her best friend.

"Oh, Raven, I very much wish our hanging out at the mall of shopping time was longer," Starfire sighed.

"I'm sorry, Starfire, but if anything I wish it was shorter," Raven sighed.

Starfire gasped, hurt, and said, "You do not wish to do the hanging out with me."

"No, _you_ have nothing to do with it," said Raven. "I just dislike the mall _very _much."

"But why do you dislike the mall of shopping so much?" asked Starfire.

"Because I'm allergic to it," said Raven plainly.

"You have the allergies for the mall of shopping?" asked Starfire, confused.

"Basically," said Raven, "whenever I come here I feel so many different emotions from people that I get a migraine and then I get physically ill. So, basically, I'm allergic to the mall due to the people and their emotions."

"But why do you not simply block their emotions out?" asked Starfire.

"I can only block out so much," Raven sighed. "It takes a lot of concentration just to block you four out back at the tower. But there are hundreds of people here, so I can't possibly block _all_ of their emotions out."

"Oh, Raven, I did not know," said Starfire, feeling bad.

"The worst part is that all of their emotions affect my emotions," said Raven, looking down at the floor as they walked. "Since that's what my powers are driven by, it's hard for me to keep myself under control."

"Perhaps we should not do the hanging out at the mall of shopping anymore," suggested Starfire sorrowfully.

"No, it's okay," said Raven. "As long as it's not for too long I can survive. Besides, I know how much you enjoy coming here."

"You are a magnificent friend indeed to come here with me when it makes you feel the ill," said Starfire.

"I do my best," said Raven plainly.

They reached the exit and the two walked outside together. Raven took a big breath of fresh air in and began to feel a little better. At least out in the open air she could feel the pressure lifting off of her.

"Well, I do hope you will feel better," said Starfire.

"I already am," said Raven. "By the time I get back to the tower I should be fine."

"I am glad to hear that," said Starfire with a small smile. "Oh, I wish people did not have their emotions so that you would not feel so bad."

"Don't wish for that, Starfire," said Raven. "I would never wish for people to live the way I live. It's selfish and a waste of a wish."

"Then what _do_ you wish for?" asked Starfire, curiously. "If you could do the wishing for anything. A wish that was just for you."

"Well… what would _you_ wish for?" asked Raven.

Starfire thought for a moment then her eyes brightened. "If I could make a wish, I would wish for friend Robin to do the asking out of me for a date. And perhaps for him to kiss me more."

Raven smile softly. That Starfire was a hopeless romantic, even if she didn't know it. "That is a good wish," said Raven. "I mean, for you."

"Now will you tell me what you would wish for?" asked Starfire.

Raven grew quiet again. She knew exactly what she would wish for. Other than wishing her powers weren't controlled by emotions and that she couldn't feel what others felt. She wanted her voice back. She wanted to sound like she had most of her life. She wanted the voice that had drawn people in and made them not afraid of her. She wished for her voice.

Starfire watched as Raven seemed to become lost within her own thoughts. She couldn't believe she was actually thinking about this. Usually, Raven would brush off such a question and call it pointless. But not this question. Now Starfire truly wanted to know what Raven wished.

"Raven?" asked Starfire.

Raven hadn't even notice that her hand went up to her throat as she thought. She quickly realized what she was doing and her hand quickly dropped to her side. "I… I don't know, Starfire," she said at last. "I have no wish for myself." And with that she took off into the air and began flying home.

"I shall see you later then my friend!" Starfire called out, waving as Raven flew away.

Poor Starfire felt so terrible for bringing Raven to the mall for all of these years. She knew that her friend didn't like to go, but she had no idea it actually made her sick! She sighed and headed back into the mall.

"Perhaps I should get friend Raven a present," Starfire said to herself as she walked around. "I feel most terrible for making her feel sick. Yes, a present shall show her how very sorry I am." She smiled to herself and began to search for an appropriate gift for her friend.

"Now what does friend Raven like?" Starfire queried as she looked around. "She does not like the clothes or the animals that are stuffed or the color pink or… perhaps I should think of what she _does_ like."

As she walked she finally found a store that screamed 'Raven' out to her. It colored with dark blues and various other dark colors. Starfire would never go into such a store on her own, it was far too dark and mysterious for the chipper alien. But, this was for Raven, so she would venture inside.

She walked into the store and saw various figurines of mystical creatures and other various fantasy items. The smell of incense was in the air and would have made any normal person sneeze. She saw clothing that was dark and beautiful, and very expensive looking. She walked further on and saw a case full of jewelry of all sorts.

'I believe I shall get friend Raven a bit of jewelry,' Starfire thought. 'She would not refuse a necklace… I hope.'

"May I help you?" an older woman asked. She was dressed in the same sort of clothing that was for sale and she looked to be a mystical woman. Of course, when you worked in such a store, it would be pretty unintelligent not to. You had to draw in customers somehow. Around her neck hung dozens of necklaces, each with a different pendant.

Starfire looked up and saw the woman, giving a small gasp since no one had been there three seconds ago. "Oh, yes, I was looking for a gift for my friend," said Starfire with a smile.

"Perhaps I can help you," said the woman. "What's your friend like?"

"Well… she would like this store very much," said Starfire. "She likes to read and she does the meditating."

"Meditating?" asked the woman.

"Oh, yes, she must meditate," said Starfire. "For, you see, she has very strong powers and if she does not meditate then they make things do the exploding."

"Your friend sounds quite… interesting," said the woman.

"Oh, yes, that is the correct word for her indeed," said Starfire cheerily. "But, perhaps you have heard of her? Her name is Raven of the Teen Titans. Oh! And I am Starfire." She held out her hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you," said the woman, shaking Starfire's hand. "And I think I can help." She looked down into the glass case where all of the small breakable items were kept, such as the jewelry. "How about these earrings?"

"I do not believe her ears are pierced," said Starfire.

"That bracelet is very nice," said the woman.

"Actually, I would like to purchase a necklace for my friend," said Starfire.

"Wonderful," said the woman. "I have quite a selection. Come, pick one out."

Starfire looked over to a display of many necklaces. They were all beautiful and very unique. But which would be best for Raven? Starfire took her time and looked through every single last necklace until she found the absolutely most perfect one for her dear friend.

"I believe I shall choose that one," said Starfire with a smile, pointing to a necklace.

"A very good choice," said the old woman and she plucked it from the display. "Your friend will be very happy with this."


	4. Starfire's Gift

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 4

Raven sat in her room, meditating. Her headache was finally gone and she felt much better now. Sometimes the pressures of the outside world were too much for her. The others wanted her to come out of her room more often and do things with them. They didn't understand that when she left the sanctity of her room she felt as if she was under water and the further away she went the more the pressure built up. It wasn't that she didn't like being with them, it was just uncomfortable.

"Raven!" a muffled voice said excitedly from the other side of her door.

'She's home already?' Raven thought, confused. "Yes?" she answered.

"Please, may I come in?" asked Starfire. "I have a gift for you!"

"Starfire, you know I don't like gifts," said Raven.

"Oh please?" begged Starfire. "I promise you, you will like it very much."

Raven sighed and left her meditation. She stood up and went over to the door, opening it to reveal a glowing Starfire. "Alright, where is this gift I will like very much?" she asked in a plain voice.

"Here," said Starfire, holding a small bag out to her friend.

Raven looked at the bag and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, Starfire, you shouldn't have," said Raven in a monotone voice.

"No, you must look inside," said Starfire, shaking with excitement.

Raven opened the bag and saw the necklace inside. "Wow, it's… nice," said Raven. It was a red little orb that hung on a golden chain. It actually matched her belt. "Uh, thanks Starfire. But why…"

"Please, may I put it on you?" asked Starfire grabbing the necklace and quickly wrapping it around Ravens neck. Once it was fastened, she got a good look at her friend and smiled happily. "It looks wonderful!"

"Uh, thanks," said Raven. "But, why did you get me a gift?"

"Oh, I wanted to say thank you and I'm sorry for all of the times I have brought you to the mall of shopping," said Starfire. "I was not aware that it made you feel sick."

"That's nice of you, but you didn't need to get me a present," said Raven.

"I know, but will you still accept it?" asked Starfire. "It is most pretty on you."

Raven sighed and said, "Alright, if it makes you happy, which I can feel it does, I'll keep it."

"And wear it?" asked Starfire, hopefully.

"And wear it," said Raven, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, thank you!" said Starfire, wrapping her arms around Raven.

"Too… close," said Raven through her crushed lungs.

"Oh, I am sorry," said Starfire. "I am just so happy you will keep my gift."

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me, I have some more meditating to do," said Raven.

"Yes, of course," said Starfire with a smile and watched her friend retreat back into her room. Now that that was done she decided to go see what Robin was doing.

Raven sat back down on her bed and slowly levitated into the air. She felt the necklace around her neck and decided it wouldn't be very hard to remember to put it on every day. It was the least she could do for Starfire since she bought her it. She would just have to consider it as part of her uniform now.

Starfire entered the common room and saw the three young men sitting on the couch, playing videogames. They had finally gotten a third controller so all three could play instead of waiting for a turn. They weren't exactly the patient sort.

"Hello friends," said Starfire, flying over to them.

"Hey Star," all three said at once, their eyes never leaving the screen.

"I have returned from the mall of shopping," she announced, as she always did.

"Get anything nice?" asked Robin as he rammed Beast Boy's car off of the road.

"Dude!" Beast Boy protested.

"I did not get anything for myself, but I did get Raven a gift," said Starfire.

"What'd you get her?" asked Robin as he took the lead.

"A necklace," said Starfire. "And she is very happy with it."

"Wait a second," said Cyborg as he gained speed and caught up to Robin. "You bought Raven a gift and she accepted it?"

"Dude, that's like never happened ever," said Beast Boy as he did his best to catch back up to the others.

"Yes, but I gave it to her as a thank you for coming to the mall of the shopping with me so often," said Starfire. "Did you know that she is allergic to the mall of shopping?"

"Star, no one can be allergic to the mall," said Cyborg.

"Raven is," said Starfire.

"Are you sure you're not confusing what Raven said?" asked Robin. "Did she say she has allergies that the mall stirs up?"

"No, she is actually allergic to the mall," said Starfire. "When she goes because of her powers she gets physically ill from it."

"Whoa, that's weird," said Beast Boy as his fingers moved as fast as they could.

"Then why does she go if it makes her feel sick?" asked Robin.

"Because she knows how much I enjoy going with her," said Starfire. "That is why I bought her the necklace. I had not known that the mall of shopping made her feel so sickly."

"Well, it's nice that she accepted your gift," said Robin.

"Yeah, but will she ever wear it?" asked Beast Boy.

"Probably not," said Cyborg.

"No, she promised me she would," said Starfire. "And Raven has never broken a promise to me."

"Yeah, but Raven doesn't where jewelry," said Beast Boy. "Trust me, I got her this cool ring last Christmas and I saw it in the trash the next day."

"Beast Boy, it was a decoder ring from a cereal box," said Robin.

"So? I've been waiting to find one of those all of my life and when I did I decided to give it to her," said Beast Boy.

"Did you tell her that?" asked Cyborg.

"Well… no," said Beast Boy.

"Maybe if you had told Raven the significance of the ring of decoding then perhaps she would have kept it," said Starfire.

"I doubt it," said Beast Boy, lowly.

"Well, anyway, I hope Raven does wear the necklace," said Robin. "I'd like to see-YES! I win!"

"Awe man!" said Cyborg.

"Dude, no fair!" said Beast Boy.

The common room doors opened and Raven entered. She had decided that she wanted some tea before she meditated anymore. She entered to see the three young men fighting and Starfire standing to the side, apparently waiting for them to stop. Some things never changed.

Starfire watched as her three male friends argued over the fairness of the videogame, then turned to see Raven in the kitchen. "Raven!" she said excitedly. "Please, will you show off your necklace?"

"Just let me get my tea going," said Raven, putting her teakettle on the stove. Once she turned the heat on she walked over to the others. "Ta da," she said unenthusiastically, holding up the necklace that hung around her neck.

"Is it not pretty?" Starfire gushed.

"Yeah, very nice," said Robin.

"Definitely matches your outfit, Rae," said Cyborg.

"Please don't call me Rae," said Raven.

"Ooh, shiny," said Beast Boy smiling, mesmerized by the shiny little red orb. "Is it glass?" He tapped it, but Raven slapped his hand away. "Ow!"

"Don't touch it," said Raven. "Look with your eyes, not with your…"

"Hands, yeah I know," Beast Boy pouted.

"Remember, personal space," said Raven in a scolding voice and indicating to the area around her.

"Are you really gonna wear it?" asked Cyborg.

"Of course, I told Starfire I would," said Raven.

"I told you Raven would not break a promise," said Starfire, hugging Raven again.

"What did I just say about personal space!" she growled in a strained voice.

"Oh, sorry," said Starfire, releasing her.

Raven took a big breath in, refilling her squeezed lungs, and went back into the kitchen to attend to her tea making. She wasn't exactly comfortable with everyone staring at her, but she was glad for the compliments on the necklace. She had to admit, it was very nice.

Once her tea was made she took a seat on the couch next to all of her friend who were watching television. She knew if she spent time with them now they wouldn't be bugging her later on, which meant she could have a quiet evening in her room. She sipped her tea and tried to figure out what they were watching.

Starfire sat very close to Robin, who had his arm around her. Those two were always as close as humanly possible. She would sit on his lap if not for the fact that Cyborg would constantly comment on it. And whenever Cyborg brought up the two's relationship, Robin would blush and grow very embarrassed. They might have been going out, but that didn't mean Robin was any less awkward about the subject.

Beast Boy saw Raven sitting next to him, well not next to, more like a foot away from him. He slyly began to scoot a little closer to her, just to see how close he could get before she yelled at him. He got about three inches closer to her and she ever so subtly moved over three inches. He moved another three inches towards her and she, again, moved to remain a foot away from him.

And so the two scooted over and over and over. Beast Boy decided that he should make a big move and jumped over six inches. Unfortunately he had not noticed that he had been on the edge of the couch and he fell right off. He let out a yell of surprise and landed on the floor. He looked up and saw that Raven was hovering in the air.

"Hey, you cheated!" he said loudly.

"I didn't do anything," said Raven plainly as she sipped her tea. "I'm just sitting here."

"You knew I was trying to get close to you and you purposely moved off of the couch so I would fall," said Beast Boy, standing up.

"And just why would you want to get close to me?" she asked, her eyebrow rising.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, but noticed that the whole room was staring at him. "Forget it," he said and quickly headed out of there before more questions could be asked, but he could hear them snickering.

Raven rolled her eyes and moved herself back onto the couch. He sure could be weird sometimes. He had started acting a little weirder around her since he found out about her voice's past, but she had expected that. And so far he had kept his promise and not told anyone about what she had shared with him. And every day he kept his promise she grew a little more tolerant of him.


	5. And the Oscar goes to

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 5

Raven sat on the couch reading while Cyborg and Beast Boy were battling it out at their videogames. It had been a rather quiet day, which they were always thankful for. Robin and Starfire walked in, Starfire looking quite excited.

"Friends!" she announced. "I have most wonderful news!"

"What's up Star?" asked Cyborg as he continued to whoop Beast Boy's butt.

"Robin has agreed to letting us go to do the karaoke!" said Starfire, clapping.

"Cool," said Cyborg, smiling.

Beast Boy immediately turned to Raven, who didn't seem too phased. But he knew exactly what was going on in her head. She wasn't going to go, and he just had to hope that the others accepted that.

"B, you in?" asked Cyborg.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, course," he said with a smile.

"What about you, Raven?" asked Robin.

"Pass," she said in her usual, and only, tone.

"But, Raven, you must come!" said Starfire, flying over to her friend. "You shall have much more fun this time."

"That's alright," said Raven. "I don't like karaoke."

"Come, Raven, it's gonna be fun," said Cyborg.

"Hey, if she doesn't wanna go then leave her alone," said Beast Boy. The whole room went silent and all eyes fell on Beast Boy.

"But, Beast Boy, do you not think that Raven should come?" asked Starfire.

"Well, uh…" said Beast Boy, trying to think.

"Yeah, you're usually set on getting Raven to do activities with us," said Robin. "Why the change?"

"I… I just think that we should, you know, respect her wishes," he said, knowing his friends were seeing right through him.

"Thank you, Beast Boy," said Raven, hiding how truly appreciative he was being for trying to help her.

"Alright, what's goin on here?" asked Cyborg. "Since when does B respect Ravens wishes? And since when does Raven thank Beast Boy?"

"Don't you four have a karaoke bar to get to?" asked Raven, turning a page in her book.

"We'd like it better if you came with us," said Robin.

"I already said no," said Raven.

"Oh, please, Raven?" Starfire begged. "It would be most wonderful if you would come with us to do the karaoke. We do not care if you do not have the voice for singing."

Little did Starfire realize what she'd said. Ravens eyes went wide, as well as Beast Boy's. She bit her lip deeply and kept her gaze in her book. Beast Boy saw everyone staring at her; even they could feel the change in atmosphere as Starfire had said that. He knew he had to do something.

"Oh," he said dramatically and he fell over, attempting to fake a faint.

"Beast Boy, you okay?" asked Robin, looking down at Beast Boy who was sprawled out on the floor. He didn't move. They each crouched down next to him and stared at his unmoving body. "Beast Boy?"

Cyborg lightly slapped Beast Boy's cheek and he 'came to'. He looked up and saw all of his friends, save Raven who was staring at him from the couch, looking at him. He knew he had to really sell it now.

"Dude, what happened?" he moaned.

"You, uh, fainted, I think," said Robin.

"Friend, are you well?" asked Starfire in a worried tone.

"Uh… I'm not sure," said Beast Boy, making his eyes look dizzy. "Maybe I'm sick?"

Cyborg did a quick scan of him with his arm. "Hmm… your vitals are fine," said Cyborg. "You seem perfectly healthy."

"Well, uh, I still feel kinda dizzy," said Beast Boy. "Guess I'm not going to karaoke."

"Guess not," said Cyborg.

They helped him up and sat him on the couch. Raven had remained quiet, slowly figuring out what Beast Boy was doing. She couldn't believe he had faked a fainting spell just to get the attention off of her. That was very… kind of him.

"Maybe your blood sugar's low," said Robin.

"Yeah, maybe that's it," said Beast Boy. "Well, you guys better get going before all of the good songs are taken. I'll be fine here… alone." He made sure to stress alone.

"Oh, I do not believe we should leave Beast Boy alone," said Starfire, playing right into Beast Boy's hand. "What if he does the fainting again?"

"Fine, someone's going to have to stay here," said Robin.

"I'll do it," said Raven, raising her hand. Again, it all went quiet and they stared at her. "What?"

"You wanna stay here… alone… with Beast Boy?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't want to go to karaoke anyway and all I'll be doing is keeping an eye on him," said Raven. "I think I can survive."

The other three got ready and were soon off. As soon as Beast Boy was sure they were away from Titans Tower he started to laugh to himself, proud of his acting skills. He always knew he was a born actor.

"Bravo," said Raven, clapping once, and then picking her book back up. "You'd definitely be up for an academy award for that performance."

"Really?" he asked with bright eyes. Raven just stared at him. "Oh."

"You didn't have to do that," said Raven as she looked for the correct page in her book.

"Do what?" asked Beast Boy.

"You know, pretending to faint so that they would stop looking at me," said Raven.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" said Beast Boy. "Besides, they're gone, you're still home, and everyone's happy."

"What about you?" she asked. "I thought you wanted to go out to karaoke with them."

"Eh, I can go do karaoke anytime," said Beast Boy. "Besides, I have a funny feeling I won't get as good of a response here like I did in Tokyo."

"I agree," said Raven.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, turned the videogames off, and turned the TV on. Now he had full control of the television, something he rarely had. Sure, he had wanted to go out and do some karaoke, but he was happy to help Raven. After all, it did have to do with the secret that she had only told him. He still felt rather proud about that.

For a while the two sat there, Raven reading and Beast Boy flipping through the channels. But Beast Boy was never one who could accept silence for too long, even if the television was on.

"So… heard any good jokes lately?" he asked, smiling.

"No," she said plainly, not looking up from her book.

"Do you want to?" he asked, scooting slightly closer to her.

"No," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked, moving a bit more.

"Positive," she said, turning a page in her book.

"Cuz I've got some really good ones," he said, now sitting right next to her.

"Beast Boy, you've been telling me you have good jokes for years, and I have yet to hear a decent one," said Raven. "Face it, you're not funny."

"Yes I am!" he said firmly. "You said so yourself!"

"When?" she asked, actually looking up.

"Don't you remember?" he asked. "Right after we saved Starfire from those alien dudes and we'd all just met you said I was funny."

"Correction, I said you were 'kind of' funny," said Raven.

"But you still said that I was funny," said Beast Boy, grinning.

"Yes, well, that was before I knew you," she said, looking back into her book.

Beast Boy frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked hotly. "Why are you always putting me down, Raven? Why do you want make me feel bad all of the time? Do you know how hurtful it is when you insult me or yell at me? Why do you do it?"

Raven just stared at him, shocked that he had said all of this. He was never one to really raise his voice unless he was truly upset, and he had basically yelled at her. She knew he could only be pushed so far. And it looked like she had gone over the limit of Beast Boy bashing.

"Beast Boy, I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "It's just… my natural response to you, I guess."

"And what does that mean?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Raven, feeling quite bad about everything. "It's just… complicated I suppose. When I can't handle what I'm feeling, what's going on around me, I lash out. And usually I lash out at you. I'm sorry."

Beast Boy's frown slowly went away and he sighed. "Well, just so you know, you hurt my feelings an awful lot," he said.

"I know," she said. "I feel emotions, remember? I always know when I hurt your feelings. It's just that sometimes I can't stop myself. I'm sorry."

"Well… I guess I can understand," he said. "I'd still like to know why you were really mean to me in Tokyo, though."

Raven tensed up a little. "I… I was just overwhelmed by the trip, I guess," she said.

"Come on, there's no way that was all because we were on a mission in China," said Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, we were in Japan!" said Raven.

"Yeah, that's what I said," he said.

"No, you said China," said Raven.

"No I didn't," said Beast Boy.

Raven growled and closed her book. "I'm going to my room," she said, standing up. "Remind me to buy you a globe for Christmas."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" asked Beast Boy, looking confused.

"I could give it a wild guess," said Raven as she left the common room.

Beast Boy sighed and turned his attention back to the TV. He couldn't understand how a person could be as complicated as Raven was. She was like an endless jigsaw puzzle or something. But, he supposed that was why he liked spending time with her. As dull as Raven could be, if you pushed her far enough she could be quite exciting… and painful.


	6. Adrienne

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 6

"Dude, you've got to be kidding me!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Nope, I won," said Cyborg smugly. "Now all the girls want _my_ autograph… I mean, more than they did before."

"Friend Cyborg did the kicking of the butt of the other singers of the karaoke," said Starfire, smiling.

"And Robin came in last place!" Cyborg laughed.

"Awe, I wish I'd gone," Beast Boy moaned.

The others had gotten in late and Beast Boy wasn't allowed to find out what happened until this morning. Now he was quite upset that he hadn't gone. He was definitely going the next time.

"Did you ever figure out why you fainted?" asked Robin.

"Huh? Oh, uh, no," said Beast Boy. "Must have just been a freak thing."

"So, how was babysittin B, Raven?" Cyborg smirked.

"I would hardly call it babysitting," said Raven, who was sipping a cup of tea at the table.

"Told you I wasn't a baby!" said Beast Boy triumphantly.

"More like moron sitting," said Raven.

Cyborg started laughing while Beast Boy gave her a glare. Just when he thought she was starting to let up on him a little, she cuts him back down. But, what else did he expect?

"Well, next time you both can come," said Robin.

"Definitely," said Beast Boy.

"No," said Raven firmly.

"Common, Raven, you know we're gonna get you to go sooner or later," said Cyborg.

"Why can't you just accept that I don't like karaoke?" Raven hissed.

"Hey, we're not sayin that you hafta sing, we're just sayin you should go with us," said Cyborg.

"Yeah, it's actually more fun just to watch people," said Robin.

"I don't care," said Raven. "I'm not going to give you the opportunity of dragging me up on the stage like you did in Tokyo."

"Friends, perhaps we should not ask Raven to do the karaoke-ing with us anymore," said Starfire. "She truly does not wish to go."

"Thank you, Starfire," said Raven, relieved.

"Even if it makes me very sad that you do not wish to join us in a most fun activity that would only bring our friendships closer…" Starfire went on and on.

Suddenly the Titans alarm went off, and Raven had never been so happy. They all quickly dropped what they were doing to see where the trouble was. They knew something was going to happen sooner or later. Jump City could never stay calm for long.

"There's a disturbance in the upper west side," said Robin.

"What kind of a disturbance?" asked Cyborg. "Are we talkin Mumbo Jumbo disturbance or Plasmus disturbance?"

"Uh… it looks like there's some old woman tearing around," said Robin, cocking an eyebrow as he read the information.

"An… older woman?" asked Starfire.

"Well, this should be easy," said Beast Boy, grinning. "How much trouble can an old woman be?"

The five headed towards the city in the T-car, Cyborg's pride and joy. They knew this was probably some simple little thing that had just gotten out of control, but it was odd that the police called in their help to take care of an angry old woman. But, handling an elderly lady was better than having to deal with, say, Red X.

They finally arrived and piled out of the car. They saw a group of police surrounding the area, trying to calm the woman down. They pushed there way through and saw her. Starfire gasped upon seeing the woman.

"Oh my," she said, her hands going instinctively to her mouth with surprise.

"What is it, Star?" asked Robin.

"That is the woman from the mall of shopping who sold me Ravens necklace," said Starfire.

"Are you sure?" asked Cyborg.

"Yes, I am most positive," said Starfire, nodding.

The old woman was in no way a normal woman. Whenever someone came close to her she would clap her hands and a blast would be omitted, sending them flying away from her. All the nearby stores had been destroyed and everything on the street was broken. She would also send things flying at them by moving her hands about. It was clear she was telekinetic at least.

"Uh, no one said anything about an old woman with powers!" said Beast Boy.

"Yeah, how're we gonna take down an old lady without hurtin her?" asked Cyborg, scratching his head.

"If she has powers, then we have to take her down like any other criminal," said Robin. "And if she gets hurt we can't be held responsible. But let's not over due it. Got it, team?"

"Got it," they all said.

The old woman looked over and saw the team. She immediately stopped her rant and an evil grin crossed her face. Her plan had worked. The Titans had arrived, and within the Titans was the one person she had really come to see. All was falling into place perfectly. She watched as the leader stepped forward.

"We're going to ask you to calm down and come with us," said Robin. "If you resist we'll have to use force."

"Please, do the cooperating for we do not wish to harm you," said Starfire in a pleading voice.

The old woman smiled wider and her hands dropped to her side. She slowly began walking over to them. "Nor I you," she responded. "I have just come here to finish what I started."

"Huh?" asked Beast Boy.

"Raven, how long has it been?" the old woman asked.

Raven looked at this woman like she was insane. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The woman smiled and snapped her fingers. Her body began to morph and change to that of a young woman. Her gray locks grew long and golden blond. The wrinkles in her face smoothed and revealed beautiful, cream like skin and rosy cheeks. Her cloudy eyes cleared to reveal deep blue eyes. Now, instead of an old woman, standing before them was a young woman.

"Why, Raven, don't you recognize me?" she asked, her voice now young and taunting. And as she zeroed in on Raven, her blue eyes grew green. Green with envy.

Ravens eyes grew wide and her heart began to race. She knew this young woman, she knew her very well. It was very rare that Raven felt fear. It was even rarer when she admitted fear. And in this moment, she was truly frightened.

"Adrienne," she said, shocked.

Adrienne smiled and walked closer to the group. They immediately took fighting stances. Adrienne rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, put your arms down," she said. "I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here?" demanded Robin.

"I'm here to take something I've wanted for a very long time," said Adrienne.

"Well you can't have it," said Raven. "Your spells failed last time, what makes you think they'll work this time?"

"True, _those_ spells failed," said Adrienne with a grin. "But _this_ spell won't."

"Well I'm not going to let you get that far, this time," said Raven, raising her arms and sending two cars at Adrienne.

"Raven, what's going on?" asked Robin, who, along with the others, were confused as to what was going on. All but Beast Boy, who was just as shocked as Raven.

"Just stay back, this is between her and I," said Raven.

The smoke from the cars cleared and revealed a smirking Adrienne who did not have a scratch on her. Raven clenched her teeth and stood firm, ready to send a bus at this gypsy if necessary.

"Now, now, Raven," said Adrienne. "We both know that I always get what I want. Now you have three choices. You will give me your gift, I take your gift, or neither of us shall have it. Either way, you are going to end up without it."

"You've already taken my gift from me," said Raven, bitterly and angrily.

"I've only taken half of it," said Adrienne. "And now I'm going to take the other half to make it whole within myself."

"What the heck are they talkin about?" asked Cyborg.

"I do not know," said Starfire.

"And I don't care," said Robin. "Get ready to attack."

Beast Boy still remained quiet. He wasn't going to tell them what was going on. He would not break his promise to Raven. "Come on, Raven," he whispered to himself. "Take her down. You can do it."

"I would rather it destroyed than be within you," said Raven.

"Then destroy it," said Adrienne. "Go on, then, if you feel so strongly."

"I will not destroy it," said Raven. "I don't even know the correct spell to…"

"You don't need a spell," said Adrienne. "You see that necklace around your neck?" Raven lifted her hand and felt the red orb that hung on the golden chain. "Well that orb now contains the remainder of your voice."

"That's impossible," said Raven, her hand leaving the necklace.

"Then remove the necklace and find out," said Adrienne. "Break it upon the ground and be mute for the rest of your existence." Adrienne began walking closer to Raven, who was actually beginning to piece it all together. "Don't you think it odd that the necklace around your neck and this one look very similar?" Adrienne held up a silver chain with a blue orb. Ravens eyes began to water upon the site of it, even though she didn't want them to. That was her voice, her stolen voice.

"I… I won't give you it," said Raven, her hand clenching the red orb firmly. "I will not give you what you want. And if you do not leave then I _will_ break it, that I promise you."

Adrienne frowned and said, "Fine." She extended her arm out and using her powers grabbed the other four Titans. They lifted off of the ground and each began to choke. Her fist was clenched and the four Titans felt their windpipes being crushed. She was choking them by an invisible force. They grabbed at their necks, as if trying to pull someone's hands away. But nothing was there. They struggled to breathe, but it was getting harder and harder. This girl meant business.

"Give me that necklace or I will kill them," Adrienne growled.

"Put my friends down!" said Raven, sending her powers at Adrienne. They bounced off of an invisible barrier, leaving the young woman unharmed. She then tried to grab her friends, but her powers were useless there too. She tried to go to them, but Adrienne would not allow that either. There was a barrier around them as well.

Adrienne was getting quite angry now. She squeezed her hand tighter and the four Titans let out a gasping choke, their legs kicking furiously. Raven watched as her friends began to turn blue. They looked to her for help, desperately holding onto the life that was left in them.

"You've five seconds before I crush their windpipes and they die," said Adrienne. "And if you so much as attempt to attack me then so help my you will die a far less merciful death. Now, make your decision."


	7. A Silenced Angel

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 7

"Five… four… three…" Adrienne counted down.

Raven looked at her four friends who were suspended in the air, gasping for breath, unable to move. She looked at Adrienne with pure hatred. It was keeping everything within her not to let the demon side of her get the better of her and destroy all of their lives. What could she do? She had no choice.

"…two…"

"Okay!" Raven called out.

Adrienne stopped counting and began to smile. "What was that?" she asked.

Raven slowly bowed her head and said, "I'll… I'll give you my voice."

"No, Raven!" Beast Boy managed to yell in a strained voice. "Don't."

"Hush you!" Adrienne ordered and squeezed Beast Boy's throat a little tighter. He grabbed at his neck and choked more. Adrienne smiled to herself then looked back to Raven. This was it.

Ravens shaking hand reached up and grabbed the necklace. Then, with one swift movement, she ripped it from her neck. She never thought she would feel it again, the pain. It felt as if someone had stabbed her throat with a knife, ripping out her vocal chords, and replacing it with fire. She fell to her knees from the pain and grabbed her neck with one hand, the other containing the necklace.

Adrienne smirked evilly and tossed the Titans to the ground. They had each been on the brink of unconsciousness and were now taking in as much air as they could, choking and coughing in the process. Adrienne walked over to Raven, feeling proud and victorious. She bent down and opened Ravens clenched hand. She plucked the necklace from her and chuckled to herself.

"You made the right choice," Adrienne whispered into Ravens ear. Then she stood up and yanked the other necklace that contained Ravens voice from her own neck. She smiled wickedly as she clasped her hands, bringing both orbs together. When she opened her hands she now held one necklace with a purple orb on a chain of entwined gold and silver. She was practically shaking with joy as she placed the necklace around her neck.

Raven couldn't even swallow her own spit the pain was so horrible. She felt tears pouring down her cheeks and she slowly looked up to Adrienne. Her eyes had gone back to blue and she smiled triumphantly.

"At last!" she cried out and laughed. "The Angel of Azarath's voice is mine!" She laughed menacingly.

Raven couldn't believe it. She hadn't heard her voice since it had been taken, and now it was coming out of this evil young woman. _Her_ voice! She couldn't help but cry. How long she had wanted to hear her voice again, but she wanted it to be coming from her own mouth.

"Well, see you around, Raven," said Adrienne in her new voice. "And don't worry about your voice. I'll take good care of it." She chuckled to herself and prepared to disappear. But just before she did she looked over at Beast Boy, her eyes flashing green for a moment. She smiled wickedly then disappeared, off to another dimension once again.

It took a few minutes for the other Titans to regain their wits. Finally they slowly sat up and dizzily looked around. A few yards away they saw Raven on her knees and no sign of that young woman named Adrienne.

"Raven," Beast Boy coughed and he began to crawl over to her. Every bit of him was shaking and weak. But he kept his eyes on Raven, pushing past the weakness and his shaking limbs. And then, after what seemed like forever, he reached her. "Raven, you okay?"

Raven shook her head and placed her face in her hands, weeping. She was shaking as well. Her tears dripped down her palms and created small pools upon the pavement. Beast Boy put his arm around her and tried to console her.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," he said, his own voice strained and raspy. "Don't worry. We'll get your voice back." He wasn't sure how they were going to do that, but he knew there was no way he was going to just let that crazy girl get away with his friend's voice.

The other three get to their feet and made their way over to Raven as well. Starfire fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around Raven, also crying.

"Oh, Raven, please forgive me," she wept. "I did not know that the necklace did the taking of your voice. Please, oh, please forgive me."

Raven did nothing, she just let Starfire hold her and the two girls wept. Raven knew that this was in no way Starfire's fault, but she had no way to tell her that. Not now. She was a mute.

"Beast Boy," said Robin. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Uh, why?" asked Beast Boy.

"Cuz you seem to know something," said Cyborg.

"No I don't," said Beast Boy. Suddenly he felt someone grabbed his arm. He looked down and saw that it was Raven. She looked up at him, her eyes streaming, and nodded. "You want me to tell them?" he asked. She nodded again then looked down. "But I promised I wouldn't. Are you sure?" She looked back up sighed, nodding once again.

The group went back to the tower so Beast Boy could tell the story that Raven had told him. He spoke of how Raven had once had a beautiful voice and that a jealous Adrienne had taken half of it away, leaving her with the unpleasant voice she had. They each listened intently, piecing it all together. All the while Raven just sat with her hood up, staring at the floor.

"…and so, now, Adrienne has Ravens whole voice," said Beast Boy.

Cyborg whistled and said, "That's one heck of a story."

"Raven, why didn't you tell us?" asked Robin.

"She didn't want us to pity her," said Beast Boy, speaking for Raven who could not.

"We would not have given you the pity," said Starfire, putting her hand on Ravens shoulder.

"She said we'd say that," Beast Boy chuckled. "But, she said that even if we say we'd never pity her, we'd never be able to look at her the same way again."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," said Robin. "We've got to get your voice back."

Raven shook her head. She picked up a pen and began to write on a piece of paper her friends had given her. "She travels between dimensions," she wrote. "To find her would be near impossible."

"I don't care," said Robin, once he and the others had read what she had written. "We're going to bring this girl to justice."

Raven just sighed, stood up, and headed out of the common room. This was all too much for her, and her throat still hurt horribly. She knew she would never get her voice back. And she knew it would take a while for the others to accept that as well.

"Oh, I feel so horribly," said Starfire. "If I had not bought that necklace then Raven would still have her voice."

"It wasn't your fault, Starfire," said Beast Boy.

"He's right, Star," said Robin. "How could you have known that that old woman was Adrienne in a disguise to take Ravens voice? She used you, which is just another reason for us to find her and make her pay."

"I can't believe Raved used to be able to sing," said Cyborg. "Man, do I feel bad for tryin to force her to do karaoke. Thank God you fainted, B, or I woulda dragged her there."

"Well, I guess I can tell you guys now that I didn't really faint," said Beast Boy. "I just did it to get you guys to leave her alone."

"Now it all makes sense," said Robin. "I just can't believe she never told us any of this."

"And now she has no voice at all," said Starfire. "How shall we communicate?"

"I could rig up some sort of artificial larynx to help her speak," said Cyborg.

"An artificial what?" asked Beast Boy.

"An artificial larynx," said Cyborg slowly. "It's a device she can hold to her throat and it creates vibrations that'll enable her to talk."

"I don't think she'll like that," said Robin.

"Yeah, but at this point what choice does she have?" asked Cyborg.

"None," Beast Boy sighed.

"Well, it's better than nothing," said Robin. "Get to work on one. I'm going to go research this Adrienne and see if I can find anything else about her."

"Perhaps I should go to Raven," said Starfire. "If she is feeling the upset then I can comfort her."

"Uh, Star, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're still upset, too, and if you go to Raven I think you'll both just end up crying again," said Beast Boy.

"Yes… I suppose you are right," said Starfire, who began sniffling again, ready to cry.

"Star, why don't you go lay down until you're feeling better?" asked Robin. Starfire nodded and flew to her room, already crying again.

"I'll check on Raven," said Beast Boy.

"Uh, you sure that's the best idea?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, nodding. "This is sorta our thing." The other two boys just looked at him. Beast Boy sighed. "Look, you each got something with Raven. She helps you work on the T-car, Cy, and she has a bond thing with you, Robin. And she chose me to share her voice story with. She trusted _me_ with it. So, you know, this is kinda our thing."

"Alright, that… kinda made sense," said Cyborg.

"Fine, you go check on her, but don't over stay your welcome," Robin warned. "The last thing we need is for her to feel even worse."

"Gotcha," said Beast Boy, going into the kitchen and getting Ravens teakettle out.

"Uh… what're ya doin now?" asked Cyborg.

"Her throats gotta be hurting, so I'm making her some tea," said Beast Boy. "Then, at least, she'll let me in her room if she sees I have something to make her feel better."

"There's some throat numbing spray in the bathroom," said Robin. "Bring her that as well."

"Thanks dude," said Beast Boy as he placed the teakettle on the stove.

Once the tea was done and he had retrieved the numbing spray, he headed for Ravens room. He felt so horrible about what had happened. Poor Raven had gone from owning one of the most beautiful voices ever to not having a voice at all. He cautiously knocked on her door and let his presence be known.

"Uh, Raven, it's Beast Boy," he said. "I got you some tea for your throat."

He heard the door unlock and he slid it aside. He looked inside and saw her sitting on her bed. Her knees were under her chin and he could see tears still falling from her eyes. He slid the door shut and went over to her.

"Here you go," he said, handing her a mug of tea. "And I got you this." He gave her the throat numbing spray.

She mouthed a, "Thank you," and took the tea first. She sipped it, but quickly winced as the hot liquid burned her throat.

"Uh, maybe you should use the spray first," he suggested. She sadly nodded and placed the tea on her bedside table. "Do you want me to do it for you?" he asked, kindly. She thought for a moment then nodded. "Alright, open up nice and wide."

She sighed and opened her mouth up as wide as she could. Beast Boy quickly read the directions on the spray bottle. He sprayed into the back of her throat twice. Within a few seconds Raven felt her throat go numb.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded and took her tea again. He had never seen her so miserable. He had seen her angry, sad, and emotionless, but never miserable. He decided to push his limits and sat down next to her.

"It's gonna be okay," he said in a comforting voice. "You know that, right?"

Raven swallowed the tea and bit her bottom lip. She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, attempting to keep the tears in. Her hands began to shake and the tea was very close to spilling. Beast Boy quickly grabbed it and set it aside once more. Then he wrapped his arms around her. She embraced his hug and wept openly in front of him.

"It's gonna be okay," he said softly.


	8. Communication and Epiphanies

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 8

"Come on, Raven, you gotta at least try it," said Cyborg.

Raven just shook her head.

"But it will help you to speak to us," said Starfire.

Raven mouthed a, "No!" and crossed her arms firmly.

"Like Cyborg said, we just want you to try it out," said Robin. "Please?"

She shook her head again and turned away from her four friends defiantly.

"Come on, Rae," said Beast Boy. "You gotta at least give a test drive."

Ravens eyes went wide. She turned around swiftly and she grabbed the trinket from Cyborg's hand. She turned it on and pressed it to her throat. "Don't-call-me-Rae!" said a robotic voice.

"Ha! Got you to try it," said Beast Boy triumphantly. "And, dude, you sound like a computer!"

Raven growled and said, "Shut-up!" She turned to Cyborg and said, "I-don't-like-it."

"Okay, so it needs some upgradin," said Cyborg. "But, for now, you can use it to talk."

"I-would-rather-be-mute," said Raven, tossing the contraption back over to Cyborg, who quickly caught it.

"But Raven," said Starfire, flying in front of her friend before she could storm out of the room. "We wish to hear you speak again. We do not care if you sound like the machine of the vacuum."

Raven just stared at Starfire for a second. Then she gently pushed passed her and left. She had had to go three days so far without speaking, and as hard as it was, she refused to sound like a smoker who had had their larynx removed.

"Well that went well," Cyborg sighed.

"Don't you think you can make something that could actually sound like a voice?" asked Robin.

"Even if he does, she's not gonna want it," said Beast Boy.

"I do not understand why she does not want to speak," said Starfire.

"Of course she wants to speak," said Beast Boy. "She just wants to speak in her old voice."

"Then why isn't she helping us find Adrienne?" asked Robin.

"Duh! Cuz she thinks she can't be found," said Beast Boy. "Raven told me that when Adrienne first stole her voice she had searched everywhere for her, but no trace was ever found."

"When'd she tell you this?" asked Cyborg.

"Yesterday," said Beast Boy.

"She told you all of that?" asked Robin. "How long did that take?"

"A while," said Beast Boy. "And a lot of paper, but she didn't mind and neither did I."

"Wow, I guess you were right about this thing bein your… thing," said Cyborg.

"I am just glad Raven has someone to do the talking to, even if she can not talk," said Starfire.

"Speaking of which," said Beast Boy. "I'm gonna go see if she's okay." And with that he ran after her.

Raven made it to her room and slowly closed her door. She couldn't believe they wanted her to use an artificial larynx to speak. She might not have had her voice, but she still had her pride. Not that her pride made up for the fact that she felt depressed.

'Look at yourself!' she scolded. 'How dare you feel sorry for yourself?! So what if you don't have voice? A voice is just a tool for oral vocalization. Many people live without speaking vocally, and so can you. So stop being depressed and get on with your life. It's pointless to feel bad for the loss of anything, so stop it right now!'

A knock echoed through her room and she was startled out of her thoughts. She went back over to the door and slowly opened it. There stood Beast Boy, smiling like he always did.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Sure?" he pressed.

She rolled her eyes, sighed, and nodded again.

"Look, don't worry about that fake voice thing," said Beast Boy. "Cy'll think of something."

Raven shook her head and made a motion with her hands that clearly said, "I don't want him to."

"Robin says that you hafta have some sort of voice," said Beast Boy.

Raven threw up her arms as if to say, "Oh well!"

"That way, if you're in trouble, you can call out for help," said Beast Boy.

She placed two fingers in her mouth and made a very loud whistle. Then gave him a look that said, "I'll just do that if I'm in trouble."

"Well, what if your mouth is covered?" he asked. She just stared at him for a moment. "Oh, duh, then it wouldn't mattered if you could speak. Well, what if your hands are tied?"

She whistled again, this time fingerless, showing that she could whistle fine if her hands were tied.

"Come on, Raven, you can't just go through life without a voice," he said.

She gave him a fake smile and nodded firmly that said, "Yes I can."

"No you can't!" said Beast Boy. "How are we supposed to understand you?"

She pointed back and forth between them, which said, "We're communicating right now!"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short. "Huh, I guess we are," he said, realizing this. "But, still, don't you ever wanna talk again?" He watched as a pained expression crossed her face. She looked down then closed the door, separating them.

He sighed and decided to leave her alone. He always seemed to say the wrong thing, even when he truly didn't mean to. He headed to the common room to find something to do. He found Starfire in the kitchen just getting ready to cook dinner.

"Hello friend," said Starfire. "Is Raven alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine," said Beast Boy. "But she doesn't want anything to help her speak."

"She is being the stubborn, correct?" asked Starfire.

"Yeah, pretty much," said Beast Boy, waltzing over to the couch and flopping down. Unfortunately he hadn't seen the shoebox that was already sitting there that was full of their vacation photos. He quickly jumped up and grabbed it. "Star, who left the pictures here?"

"I believe Robin was looking through them," said Starfire.

"Well why didn't he put them away?" asked Beast Boy. "I mean, that's like something… _I_ would do."

"He was called away by Cyborg's announcement of the talking device for Raven," said Starfire.

"Well where's he now?" asked Beast Boy.

"I believe he is in the room of training," said Starfire.

"Figures," said Beast Boy, rolling his eyes. He opened the shoebox up and looked at the hundreds of pictures. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to go through them. Seemed like forever since he looked at the vacation pictures.

He chuckled to himself as he sorted through them. They had done so much in Tokyo, and there was still plenty more that they didn't get a chance to do. He really had never had so much fun before. He was sure that they all, with the exception of Raven, had an awesome time. But why was that? Why was she always the exception?

He looked for all the pictures that Raven was in. There was only one out of the whole bunch that had her solely in it. The rest she was in she was only in the background, not really paying attention to the fact that a picture was being taken. And in none of the pictures did she seem very happy or entertained.

"What was with her?" he asked himself softly, so that Starfire couldn't hear as she cooked. "I mean, usually she can find something to do to keep herself busy. But she was on my back the whole time."

He looked at the pictures of him signing autographs and getting hugs from his fan girls. He was smiling and gloating in every picture. Then he began to see a running theme with each of those pictures. In the background he could see… Raven. Yeah, of course he could see his other friends in the pictures, but she was in every single one.

"That's odd," he said to himself.

He looked closer to see what she was doing. It just looked like she was standing there, off to the side where she thought no one could see her. And she looked… sad, but angry. There was a better word for it and he searched his mind. She looked… she looked… jealous? Yes, that was it! She looked jealous.

"What the heck?" he said, looking even closer at each of the pictures. "Why would she be jealous?"

He remembered back and tried to make sense of this. He slowly began to put the pieces together and realized that she had always been extra short tempered when he was talking about all of the girls he was meeting and how many numbers he was getting. It seemed like whenever he mentioned other girls she would snap at him.

"Does this mean… she likes me?" he questioned. "Why would Raven like me?"

"Pardon?" asked Starfire from the kitchen.

"Uh, sorry Star, just thinking out loud," he said with a quick grin. He grabbed the few pictures he had been studying and headed out of there and to his room.

Once his door was safely locked he began to think about what he had just discovered. "Alright, why would Raven be jealous about a bunch of fan girls?" he asked. "A, she wishes she had as many fans as me, B, she wishes she could get my autograph, or C, she… has a crush on me. But why would Raven have a crush on me? I mean, yeah, I'm totally hot and funny and cool and beyond dreamy. But why would she realize this now?

"And out of us three guys why would she choose me to have a crush on? I mean, Robin's more like her than anyone else. But, he _is_ taken by Starfire. And Cyborg seems to understand her, too. You never see her yelling at him for being annoying. But then, they're more like brother and sister. Still, why me?"

They all seemed to treat Raven the same way, except for him. They respected her boundaries, they followed her rules for fear that something could happen, and they were each mature around her. All but him. And that was because… he treated her like a real person. Not someone to be feared or tiptoed around. He treated her like she was normal, like she could feel emotions and she wasn't a half demon.

"I better go talk to her," he sighed. "I mean, I'm probably getting all worked up over nothing."

He convinced himself this, put the pictures away, and headed over to Ravens room, again. On the way he kept telling himself that he was crazy; that perhaps his mind was playing tricks with him.


	9. Hidden Secrets of the Heart

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 9

Raven found that meditation was difficult when she couldn't recite her mantra. That's what helped her focus; listening to her self recite those words. Now that she couldn't, reaching her center had become a challenge. She heard someone knock on her door and any centering she had achieved was erased. She sighed, touched down, and went to her door. She opened it and saw Beast Boy.

She raised an eyebrow as if to say, "What?"

"Hey Raven," he said with a smile. "Whatcha doing?"

She just stared at him.

"Meditating, gotcha," he said. "Well, look, uh, I kinda have something I wanna talk about. Can I come in?"

Raven looked at him for a second then moved aside, giving him access into her room. He smiled and walked in. As soon as he was within her room she closed her door and waited to see what he would do.

He suddenly felt very nervous, knowing that simply suggesting what he suspected Raven of having, a crush on him, could send her into an angry fit. But, he had to find out if this was why she had been so short with him.

"So, um, change your mind on the fake voice thing?" he asked in a nervous chuckle.

She shook her head no.

"Didn't think so," he said, scratching the back of his head.

They stood there for a few minutes in silence. Raven stared at him and waited for him to say something. Beast Boy wasn't sure what he was waiting for. This was just so odd he wasn't sure how to go about it.

Finally Raven crossed her arms and huffed, clearly telling him, "Get on with it or get out!"

"Okay, I guess I should probably start talking, right?" he said. She just stared at him. "Right, well, uh, you see, I was kinda looking through the pictures from our Tokyo trip and I noticed something kinda weird. You see, in each of the pictures of me with my adoring fan girls, you were in the background and you kinda… sorta… looked… jealous."

Ravens eyes went wide and one of her shelves of her library broke, spilling books all over the floor. Beast Boy jumped and looked at the mess. He then looked to Raven, who had turned from him and put her hood up.

"Uh, so, am I right or really really wrong?" he asked, nervously. He knew something must have been up for her emotions to let her powers leak like that.

Raven did not turn. She walked away from him and sat down on her bed, her head down. Beast Boy cautiously walked over to her and began fiddling with his fingers, since he couldn't think of anything better to do.

After what seemed like forever, Beast Boy finally spoke, since he was the only one of the two with the capability. "Are you… alright?"

Raven continued to stare at the floor.

"Please, can't you tell me anything?" he asked.

She shook her head.

His fang dug into his upper lip and his heart raced. He had to ask the essential question. He knew he would get some sort of a reaction. He just felt very awkward about asking it.

"Raven… do you have a… crush on me?" he asked.

Raven seemed to stiffen for a moment. He could see her biting her bottom lip. All he could see where her lips. He sighed and took a seat next to her on her bed. She turned away from him, obviously hoping that this would turn him off from speaking to her anymore. But he had no intention of dropping the conversation.

"You know, just the fact that you didn't send me flying out of the window tells me something," he said, looking at her, even if she refused to look at him. "Come on, Raven, can't you at least look at me?"

Raven shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Does this mean you do?" he asked. "I mean, have a crush on me?"

Raven kept completely still.

"Raven, if you don't do something in five seconds I'm gonna consider this a yes," said Beast Boy. "One… two…"

Raven suddenly stood up and went over to her window. She stared out of it, her arms still firmly crossed. And even though she had moved, he had a funny feeling that that said even more that she liked him more than a friend. He sighed and went over to her.

They stood there, silently, looking out of her window. She had a magnificent view of the city. And though her eyes were glued to the outside world, Beast Boy's were glued to her. She was a master of keeping a completely placid face. But he had learned to read her without relying on her outer expressions.

"You know, it's… okay if you do," he said hesitantly. "I mean, I'm not gonna gloat or make you feel embarrassed or anything. I… I just wanna know if this is the reason you were acting the way you were acting in Tokyo."

He saw the slightest of movements of her face. She was thinking, thinking of what she should do. He could see her mind racing, playing out ever scenario in her head. And then, after what seemed the longest four seconds of Beast Boy's life, she sighed and her arms dropped to her side. Then she ever so slightly nodded.

"So… does that mean you do?" he asked. "You… like me?"

Raven nodded again, but it was so soft it could barely be seen. But he had seen it.

"Oh," he said, blushing slightly and wondering if he was going to pass out due to his heart racing so fast. "Well, uh, I'm glad we got that out of the way."

Raven sighed and walked away from him. She sat back down on the edge of her bed and focused on the floor. He could see that she looked embarrassed and awkward. Truth be told, he felt the same way. And, again, he followed her and sat down next to her once more.

"Raven, can I ask you something?" he asked.

Raven shrugged.

"Well… why me?" he asked. "I mean, why do you have a crush on… me?"

Raven thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to communicate with him. She slowly took his hand in one of her own, which made him jump slightly. She then held their conjoined hands up so that he could see them. She indicated to her hand and then to his; green and pale almost white. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he studied what she was doing. She then let go of his hand and placed her fingers to his eyelids and closed them for him. Once his eyes were closed she took his hand again and placed it over her heart, just as she placed her own hand over his. Then she let go of his hand and took her own hand away from his chest.

Beast Boy opened his eyes and thought about all she had shown him and made him feel. He understood body language far better than anyone else. It was how most, if not all, animals communicated. Therefore, it was engrained in his mind. He just had to connect the action with the right meaning. And, after some thought, he came up with what he hoped she had told him.

"Okay," he said, getting ready to explain to Raven what he believed she explained to him. "We're both really different. I mean, we look totally different to the naked eye. But, beneath what we look like, we're both the same, right? I mean, we both have a heart and we feel similar things inside of us. Am I close?"

Raven gave him a small smile and nodded. She couldn't believe how good he was at this. He really was smarter than everyone gave him credit for. But her smile faded and she looked away from him again. She felt ashamed for having these feeling for him, and for displaying her affection in an almost abusive way.

"Raven… you don't have to feel bad about this," he said in a comforting voice. "I mean, I kinda see where you're coming from. We both are really different, but at the same time kinda not. I mean, you're quiet, sarcastic, and like dark stuff and I'm loud, annoying, and like bright, shiny stuff."

She turned back to him, catching his attention, and mouthed, "You're not annoying."

"Oh, please, I know that I am," he chuckled. "Doesn't mean I feel bad about it.

Raven pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling, but he could clearly see it through her efforts.

"Anyway, even though we're different like that, we're both kinda the same," he continued. "We've both got dark things inside of us, we've both been hurt by people we thought cared about us, we both feel misunderstood sometimes…"

Raven cut him off by giving him a confused look. Then she mouthed, "Misunderstood?"

"Well, yeah," he said, realizing he had just said something about himself that no one really knew about him. "Sometimes I feel like no one understands me, but that's kinda my own fault. I act all happy and goofy all of the time so you guys don't see how depressed I can get."

Raven was very interested in what he was saying and listened intently. Beast Boy never really spoke seriously, and now she was learning why. She could see him zoning out, which meant he was talking from the purest part of him self. This was where Raven could learn the most about him.

"You see, I didn't exactly have a good childhood," he continued. "And I feel like it was my own fault that my past was so crappy. I mean, if I had just saved my parents then they wouldn't have died and I coulda maybe had a normal life. But because I was such a coward they died and it was all my fault. Just knowing that gets me down sometimes. So I crack jokes and fool around so… so you guys don't see how I really feel."

Beast Boy felt a little bit of weight lift off of his shoulders as he spoke to Raven. He had never told anyone about this, about how he really felt. And now that he was actually revealing himself, he felt a little better. He could feel Raven observing him and he was comfortable with this. Her eyes did not judge nor did they stare. She listened closely and took in every word he said, calculating it in her mind.

Beast Boy felt her shift a little and then, ever so gently, she laid her head against his shoulder. He couldn't believe she had done this, but he understood what she was saying. She was saying that it was alright and that she understood him. He softly leaned his head and rested it against hers.

"I really like talking to you Rae… Raven," he said, correcting himself. "It's cool that we can share stuff from our past with each other."

And just like that, the moment was over. Raven sat up and slightly scooted away from him. He wasn't exactly happy that she was moving, but things were odd enough already. And he decided that he had spent enough time in her room.

"Well, I guess I better go," he sighed and stood up. "And, uh, don't worry about the whole crush thing. I'm not gonna tell anyone about it. It'll be our little secret." He gave her a wink and a small smile.

Raven felt her cheeks heat up and prayed that her hood covered her blush. She bit her bottom lip and looked away from him.

Beast Boy didn't know why, but he found her rather cute in that moment. Very rarely did Raven act like any other girl would act. And in that moment, he didn't see his far too mature teammate who didn't take any crap. He saw a slightly flustered teenage girl.

He felt himself smile wider as he left her room. He had learned many things while he was in there. He learned that Raven had a crush on him, he learned that he could comfortably talk to her about anything, and he learned that they could communicate with each other far better now that Raven didn't have a voice.


	10. Our Secret Language

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 10

A month had gone by. An entire month. She had been mute for four weeks. And, at first, she was depressed. Any hope she had of regaining her original voice was dashed completely. She refused any fake voice that Cyborg created for her. She didn't care how close he got it to sound like a real voice, it wasn't hers and so she didn't want it.

But, oddly enough, she wasn't as sad anymore. In the four weeks she had been voiceless she had learned to listen even more; and she was an expert listener to begin with. And she had gotten to get a little closer to Beast Boy, who actually seemed watered down around her. He had to pay attention to her even closer now to see what she was saying with her body language. And, as much as this made her feel uncomfortable and she was caught blushing once or twice, she liked it.

As for the other three Titans they were glad that things were starting to get a little more normal. They had all gotten used to Ravens muteness and, although they didn't accept it, they were a little more comfortable with it. But they were not going to give up on finding Adrienne and getting Ravens rightful voice back.

"I'm tellin ya, man, if she doesn't want it I can't force it on her," said Cyborg as the three walked down the hall towards the common room.

"You've got to show her how realistic it sounds," said Robin.

"But if she does not want it then why must she have it?" asked Starfire.

"Because it'll help her to communicate with us better," said Robin. "She can't go voiceless the rest of her life."

"Jericho seems to be doing fine without one," said Cyborg.

"I don't want her to think she's going to be like this the rest of her life," said Robin.

"But what if she is?" asked Starfire.

"Don't think like that," said Robin. "We're not going to give up."

As they approached the common room doors they could hear someone talking. And since the three of them weren't in there, that meant that Beast Boy was talking. And most likely to Raven. They became quiet and listened in.

"I did not put too much sugar in it! … I put the same amount in that you do … No I didn't! … Hey, I'm just trying to be nice … Don't look at me like that … Come on, Rae, you know you like it … " BANG! "I'm sorry! … Raven, not Rae, Raven … I don't know … Huh? … Yeah, right … I don't know where they are … Probably … Yeah, that sounds cool … Duh!"

The three looked at each other, each very confused. Beast Boy was going on and on as if he was on the telephone with someone. They figured he must have been. There was no way he was communicating with Raven like that. Finally they decided to proceed on through.

The doors opened and they walked into the common room. There they saw Raven sitting at the table with a cup of tea and her book while Beast Boy was in the kitchen making him self a sandwich.

"Hey, there you guys are," said Beast Boy with a smile. "We were just wondering where you were."

"So… you were talking to Raven?" asked Starfire.

"Uh, yeah, who else?" he chuckled.

Raven softly closed her book and stood up, grabbing her tea cup. She gave Beast Boy a look for a moment, then proceeded to leave.

"Okay, see ya later," he said as she left. He then took his sandwich and sat down at the table. The other three quickly sat down with him.

"Beast Boy, how do you do that?" asked Robin.

"Do what?" asked Beast Boy.

"Converse with Raven like that," said Cyborg.

"Huh?" asked Beast Boy, slightly confused.

"How are you able to talk with Raven so easily when she does not have a voice?" asked Starfire.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," he shrugged. "I just understand all of her little movements and stuff."

"Does she use sign language?" asked Robin.

"No," said Beast Boy. "She just gives me little looks or gestures and I get what she's saying. It's not really that hard."

"Well it's hard for us," said Cyborg. "Honestly, I can't understand how _you_ of all people could communicate with Raven."

"Hey!" Beast Boy objected.

"Do you think you can teach us?" asked Robin.

"Uh, I don't think I can do that," said Beast Boy. "It's kinda something to do with my animal instincts. So, unless you wanna inject yourself with animal DNA, you'll have to figure out your own way to talk with her. One that _doesn't_ have her using a fake voice thing."

Robin groaned and said, "I just wish she wasn't so stubborn. She hasn't even tried to find Adrienne."

"Yeah she has," said Beast Boy. "She searched like a hundred different dimensions but found no sign of her."

"What? When'd she do that?" asked Cyborg.

"The first week after it happened," said Beast Boy.

"But I do not believe she ever left the tower," said Starfire.

"She didn't need to," said Beast Boy. "She just searched with her soul self. She said it was quicker and easier."

"And she didn't tell us because…" said Robin through his teeth.

"Because she didn't want to get your hopes up too," said Beast Boy. "She figured as long as you guys kept looking you wouldn't feel bad for her."

"I do not understand why Raven does not want us to feel badly for her," said Starfire. "Is it not alright that we feel sadness for our friend's loss?"

"It's alright, just don't let Raven know about it," said Beast Boy. "She doesn't want our pity or anything like that. And if you're gonna keep looking for Adrienne then don't talk to her about it, cuz it only makes her feel worse."

"You sure have gotten to know her better," said Cyborg.

"Well that's what happens when you're the easiest to talk to," said Beast Boy.

"But why does she not wish to communicate with us?" asked Starfire. "I feel that she has done the ignoring of us ever since she lost her voice."

"She's not ignoring you guys," said Beast Boy. "She just gets frustrated that you can't understand her as quickly as I do. It takes her like an hour just to get you guys to understand one sentence."

"Well if she would use a dang artificial larynx it wouldn't take us an hour," said Robin, frustrated.

"Dude, let it go," said Beast Boy, standing up. He had already finished his sandwich and was ready to get out of there. He knew his friends wouldn't be able to understand. "She doesn't want one." He went into the kitchen and put his plate in the sink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, me and Rae are gonna go out for a little while?"

"The two of you?" asked Robin.

"Alone?" asked Starfire.

"Rae?" asked Cyborg.

"Ugh, that's right, I keep calling her Rae," he said, banging his forehead with his fist. "Yeah, Raven and I are going into the city just to hang out. She wants to go to a café or something like that and she needs me to help her talk."

"And you're not scared that she's gonna hurt you?" asked Cyborg.

"No, I'm not worried about that anymore," said Beast Boy, casually shrugging and shaking his head.

"But why?" asked Starfire.

"Cuz I know why she was doing it and now that I know she doesn't lash out at me anymore," he said. His three friends just stared at him. "Forget it. Just be happy she's not throwing me out of windows anymore." And with that he headed off to find Raven.

"Sheesh, those two are together more than you two," said Cyborg.

"I am glad that they have found a good friendship with each other," said Starfire.

"Yeah, it's about time they stopped bickering," said Robin.

Beast Boy whistled to himself as he made his way to Ravens room. He knocked on her door and called, "Raven, you ready?"

A second later her door opened and she appeared, hood up and a book in her arms. She nodded and closed the door behind her.

"Awesome, let's go," he said with a smile. "You wanna fly?"

She gave him a look that said, "How else would we get out of here?"

"What? You could always drive us," said Beast Boy. "God knows that Cy won't let me behind the wheel."

Raven rolled her eyes and headed up to the roof. Beast Boy sighed and quickly followed after her. He was glad to be getting out of the tower and he was especially happy he got to go with Raven. Over the month it was as if they had started their friendship over. He knew it was wrong, but he was actually glad she had lost her voice. If not for that he wouldn't have been able to get closer to her. And, as odd as it was, he actually liked that.

A little while later the two touched down within the city. Raven headed over to her favorite café that Beast Boy was slowly getting familiar with. He had been there a few times and didn't find it as boring as he initially thought it was going to be. He enjoyed drinking a hot chocolate, made with soy milk of course, and watching the people as they passed by. And when he got bored with that he had a hand held videogame player that he would whip out and play until Raven was ready to leave.

"The usual?" he asked her as they sat down at their usual table outside. She nodded and gave him a kind smile. "You got it," he smiled back and headed over to the counter to order.

Raven watched as he went to order their usual drinks. She couldn't believe how different he was acting. He wasn't going out of his way to impress her anymore, which was something he had always done. Now he was calm around her, knowing that she liked him in more ways than one. And seeing him act a little less impulsive and annoying around her made her fall deeper and deeper into this ridiculous crush she had on him.

It had taken her a while to accept that she did like him. And they both knew why she had a crush on him. It was because in his eyes, she was no different than any other girl. She was confusing, complicated, and made boys squirm. Yes, she made him feel no different than any other girl made him feel. It never seemed to sink into his brain that she was a half demon. Even the fact that she had purple hair and gray skin didn't change his view on her. After all, he was a normal teenage boy who just had green skin, hair, fangs, and the ability to turn into any creature. He was used to different looking people.

"Here you go," he said with a smile as he set her tea in front of her.

She smiled as a way of saying, "Thank you," and took a sip.

He smiled and sat down, taking a large sip of his hot chocolate. "I swear, this place does the best soy hot chocolate ever!" he exclaimed.

Raven gave a slight smile and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know I say it every time," he said, knowing what she was thinking. He then leaned in and whispered, "But every time I say it the lady behind the counter gives me a free second cup."

Raven shook her head, her soft smile never leaving her face. He certainly was a character. She looked back to her book and focused on the words upon the page rather than the boy who was sitting next to her.


	11. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 11

After the café the two decided to walk down the streets of the city, just to stretch their legs out before returning to the tower. They always did this when they went out. At first they used the leg stretching excuse. But the real reason was because they appreciated the alone time together. Whenever they were in the tower there was always someone interrupting them. Out in the city they could walk around for hours, just enjoying each others' company.

But as comfortable as Beast Boy was, he was just as conflicted. He found himself experiencing feelings for Raven that he'd never felt before. Of course he knew exactly what those feelings were. He just couldn't believe he was feeling them for her. Before all of this happened, he felt slightly scared of her, not to mention slightly confused. She was a complex individual.

But now… he felt completely different around her. He was no longer afraid. Actually, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to be around her as much as she would tolerate, to keep her out of any possible danger. And he felt quite a bit of affection for her. The way she would roll her eyes at him, yet at the same time keep a soft smile on her face. That drove him wild. She was so expressive, even if no one else could see it. He loved to study her. He could always tell what she was thinking. She was an easy read to him.

What he was really having a conflict with was the fact that he may possibly have a crush on her. Awe, who was he kidding? He definitely had a crush on her. So what should he do now? He knew that Raven liked him back and she had liked him for a while. He wasn't sure if he should tell her or not. Because, in all truth, he wasn't exactly sure if these feelings were genuine or if they were coming out of the sadness he felt for her. That was his conflict. Was this real or pity induced? As much as he hated to admit it, he really wasn't sure.

Raven gently nudged him to bring him out of his thoughts and snag his attention. He quickly shook his thoughts away and turned to her. "Yeah?" he asked.

She motioned that it was time that they headed back to the tower.

"You sure?" he asked. "We haven't been out all that long."

She tilted her head towards the tower and gave him a look that said, "I'm ready to go home."

He sighed and said, "Okay, let's go then."

Raven levitated into the air and began to fly. Beast Boy was about to transform when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye, waving to him. He looked over and saw the girl who looked like Terra, waving him over. He found this odd, but at the same time exciting.

"Uh, hey Raven, I'll catch up later, okay?" he called to her.

Raven hadn't seen the girl, so she simply nodded and flew back towards the tower. Once he was sure Raven would not come back he ran over to the girl. She was smiling sweetly and looked a little shy. He was glad to see her two lackeys weren't with her.

"Hey," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "Haven't seen you for a while."

"Well, I kinda figured out that you didn't want me around," he said chuckling. "So, uh, why'd you call me over?"

The girl looked around for a second then smiled, grabbed Beast Boy's hand, and dragged him off. He was a bit shocked by this, but didn't mind. He let her lead him wherever she wanted. He felt his heart race at her touch. She was like a clone of Terra, and that was enough to make him feel butterflies.

The girl giggled to herself as she dragged Beast Boy down various streets until they were in the back of an alley. By this point Beast Boy felt quite out of breath. When they came to a stop she let go of his hand and he attempted to catch his breath. But he had barely any time, for the girl pushed him up against a brick wall and pressed her lips to his.

Beast Boy's eyes went wide at the feel of her kissing him. But they quickly rolled up into his head and he let her kiss him for as long as she wanted to. After a few seconds she pulled away, smiling to herself. Beast Boy slowly opened his eyes and what he saw before him made him jump and scream.

"Dude!" he exclaimed.

The girl had changed from the Terra form to the form of Adrienne. She was smiling smugly and looked at him like a grand prize.

"My, you're a nice kisser, did you know that?" she said.

"Where'd you come from?" he asked, shocked and growing angry.

"Hmm… good kisser, but not that bright," Adrienne said to herself, examining Beast Boy up and down.

As he heard her speak he remembered that that was Ravens voice. Her _real_ voice. He could see the necklace hanging around her neck with the purple orb that contained Ravens voice. He had wanted to hear what Ravens voice really sounded like. And now that he was, he felt nothing but rage.

"What do you want?" he growled.

She chuckled a bit and said, "What _don't_ I want?"

He was growing impatient and angrier by the second. He clenched his fists and said, "If you know what's good for you you'll get out of here before I tear you into a million pieces. And trust me, I'll do it!"

"Ooh, so he does have a bloodthirsty side," she said grinning. "I like that. I can definitely work that into something more. But, don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of work in front of me. You're far too sweet right now. But that can change."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, furiously.

"I've always wanted a boy toy," she sighed to herself, smiling at Beast Boy. "And you're perfect!"

"What? Dude… what?" he said, confused. "Boy toy? Dude, if you think I'm gonna be your plaything then you can rot in…"

"Calm down, it's a compliment," said Adrienne, smiling almost innocently. "I mean, I could have any guy in existence and I've chosen you. Congratulations."

"You're insane!" Beast Boy yelled.

"Oh I love it when you talk all fierce like that!" she gushed. "I can hear the beasts inside of you roaring to get out."

"You don't even know me!" he shouted at her.

"Oh, I've been studying you," she said, running her finger up his chest, neck, and chin. "Ever since I saw you when I took Ravens voice for my own I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Your light olive skin, your dark forest hair, your emerald eyes; do you have any idea how gorgeous you are? Well, you know, for a short teenage boy? And your powers are to die for. If you weren't so cute I'd be taking them for myself. But, I've decided I want all of you."

"Well you can't have me," he said through his teeth. "And trust me, I want nothing to do with you." He then realized that she was within arm length and so was the necklace. As fast as he could he made a grab for it, but she gracefully moved out of the way of.

"No no no," she said, shaking a finger at him. "This is mine now."

"Not for long," he growled and went after it again. She quickly grabbed him and threw him away from her and into the wall.

"You don't seem understand," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "This voice is my voice now. And you can't just simply take it away from me. If you remove the necklace then the voice will be lost and no one will have it. Don't you think I realize how easy it would be for someone to just grab it? I've thought of everything, my dear."

"Ugh, don't call me that!" he yelled, disgusted, and threw his arm out, trying to punch her. She ducked under it and pushed him when he had passed her.

She giggled and said, "Oh, you are fun, aren't you?"

He growled and tried to punch her again, but she moved out of the way once more, letting him punch the brick wall. He hissed and pulled it back, holding the damaged hand.

"Are you about done?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking bored.

"That's it," he growled. "Playtime's over." He transformed into a tiger, let out a mighty roar, and pounced at her. She yawned and flew into the air, letting him completely miss her. He swiftly turned into a pterodactyl and flew up at her. Just as he was about to reach her she kicked and connected her foot with the bottom of his beak, sending him flipping backwards. He fell to the ground and changed back to normal.

"Come on, now, I know what you're capable of," she said, touching down. "You don't have to show off."

"I'm not showing off!" he growled.

"Then stop changing into animals," she said, rolling her eyes. "I've seen you do it a dozen times in all sorts of battles."

"That's it, I'm outa here," he said, holding his still injured hand, and began to walk out of the alley.

"I don't think so," she sang, stopping him. "You're coming with me."

"Get away from me!" he threatened, pushing past her.

She frowned and got in front of him again. "Maybe you don't understand," she said, her voice getting harsh. "I have chosen you to be mine. Do you have any idea how special that is? And you have so much potential. You are exactly what I need to be unstoppable. Together we're going to rule the universe and every dimension in between! Now why would you refuse such an offer?"

"Because you're evil," he growled. "You're evil, selfish, insane, and you stole her voice!"

"She didn't deserve it!" Adrienne hissed. "Such an angelic voice should belong to someone who could match its magnificence. And _I_ am the only person worthy enough to posses this voice. To have someone like Raven own this voice is a mockery of its beauty."

That was it. Beast Boy felt something within him snap. He had spent almost every hour of every day with Raven since the incident; getting to know her and bonding with her. And in that time he had realized how beautiful she was. He had rarely seen her face for it was always covered by her hood. And now he saw that that hood had been concealing one of the most beautiful, stunning girls to probably ever exist.

He sprung at Adrienne with such speed and force that even she was startled. He grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against the wall. It was taking everything within him not to kill her right then and there. He was actually snarling at her.

Adrienne had been shocked at first, but quickly smiled wickedly at him, ignoring the fact that he had her by the throat. "Did I touch upon a nerve?" she asked evilly. Beast Boy only growled a low, guttural growl. She looked deep into his eyes and saw something that unnerved her and at the same time made her furious. "You… you like her," she said, almost shocked. "Don't you?"

"That's none of your business," he said, strengthening his grip on her throat. "Now give me a reason not to kill you."

"Because if you kill me you'll never get Ravens voice back," she said, no longer even trying to act sweet and seducing. She was angry now. Raven just had to have everything, didn't she? Well, once again, she was about to lose something Adrienne was sure she held quite dear. "Now release me."

Beast Boy was so close to ending this creature. She had caused Raven so much pain and she deserved to pay for her crimes. But he could not kill her. He had never killed anyone and he wasn't going to stain his soul by ending this disgusting being's existence. He let go of her throat and took a step back.

"This isn't over," said Beast Boy.

Adrienne rubbed her throat and fixed herself. "You think I don't know that?" she answered nonchalantly. "Now, come on, we've got work to do."

"I already told you, I'm not going anywhere with you!" he yelled.

"Yes you will or I'll make you," said Adrienne. "I always get what I want, Beast Boy. Always."

"Well, not this time," said Beast Boy and he turned into a hawk and flew away from there as fast as he could. He had to get back to the tower. He had to tell them that Adrienne was back.

Adrienne watched as Beast Boy took off. "Fine, if that's the way you want it," she said and disappeared into the dark shadows of the alley.


	12. Red X

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 12

"How stupid is this girl?" asked Cyborg.

"And why would she return to Earth after taking Ravens voice?" asked Starfire.

"I don't care why she's here," said Robin through his teeth. "All that matters is that she's here and now we have a chance of getting Ravens voice back."

"We're going to have to capture her and force her to tell us how to get it back," said Beast Boy. "She said that if we remove the necklace then the voice will be lost. So there must be someway to get her voice back."

"Have you spoken to Raven, yet?" asked Starfire.

"No, I had to tell you guys first," said Beast Boy. "I swear I was _that_ close to killing Adrienne right then and there."

"Don't worry, we'll get her," said Robin. "You go tell Raven. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that we may get her voice back."

Beast Boy nodded and went to see Raven. Now that there was hope again he knew she'd be a little happy. Of course, she would still think the cause was hopeless, but a little hope never hurt anyone.

He knew she'd be in her room, so that's where he headed for. He knocked on her door and said, "Raven, it's me." He heard the door unlock and he walked in. She sat on her bed, book in her lap. She looked up and acknowledged that he was there. He smiled and went over to her, taking a seat on her bed. "Hey, guess what just happened to me."

She shrugged.

"I just had a run in with Adrienne," he said.

That caught Ravens attention immediately and she turned to him, eyes wide.

"That's right," he said. "She's back."

Raven looked a little scared and her mind was racing. "Why?" she mouthed, looking for an answer in her own thoughts.

Beast Boy hadn't told the others about why Adrienne was back and he wasn't sure if he should tell Raven. He knew it'd just upset her. Besides, he could take care of himself. "Well, whatever she's back for, it doesn't matter," he said. "Cuz we're gonna get her and we're gonna get your voice back."

Raven closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She turned away from him. She knew there was no chance of ever getting her voice back. And she knew that Adrienne had not come back without a purpose. A bad feeling arose in her stomach and she felt scared. Something terrible was going to happen very soon. Of that, she was sure.

"Raven, please tell me," he said, scooting a little closer to her.

She simply shook her head and sighed. This was something she could not communicate to him about. Not with the way they were used to communicating. There was far too much going on.

"You don't have to be scared," he said softly. "Everything's gonna be okay. We're gonna fix everything, don't you worry."

She turned to him and looked at him with sad eyes. He knew what was going on through her mind and he didn't want her to be afraid. She'd been through enough.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he said, looking her straight in her violet eyes. "I promise."

As happy as hearing that made her feel, she felt equally as upset. 'It's not me I'm worried about,' she thought. She felt very vulnerably suddenly. The thought of Adrienne being back made her scared to even leave her room. It made her fear for her teammates' safety. She looked down and closed her eyes once again.

Beast Boy could tell that Raven wasn't feeling comfortable. She knew that something was going on, even if she didn't know exactly what it was. But she knew. He hated that he couldn't tell her why Adrienne had returned, but he knew she'd never let him leave her sight if he did. He wasn't going to be Adrienne's; that he knew. And even if she did capture and force him to do her bidding, she would never have his heart. It already cried out for another.

And that's when he realized that his feelings for Raven were genuine. They weren't out of pity. They were real! She liked him and, now, he liked her. And seeing her this distraught made him want to do anything to make her feel better.

He slowly reached his arm over and wrapped it around her shoulders. He felt her tense up for a moment, but she relaxed and slowly looked to him. He reached his other arm around and brought her into a hug, which she accepted. She couldn't believe that he knew how she was feeling, even when she did her best not to give anything away. No one else had ever known her that well.

Suddenly the Titans alarm went off and Ravens room flashed red. The two jumped apart, startled by the siren. They both then sighed, got up, and headed out to the common room to find out where the trouble was this time.

The whole group assembled and Cyborg checked out what was going on.

"It's Red X," he said. "He's at the art museum."

"Titans go!" said Robin and the team headed out.

Raven might have been acting different since she had lost her voice, but that didn't mean she was any less powerful. She had become a sort of good Kid Wykked. The Hive Five weren't exactly happy about that, but what could they do other than complain? True, her powers didn't have as much of a kick since she couldn't say her mantra, but they still worked and they still easily defeated villains.

The group arrived at the museum and quickly made their way inside to find Red X. Sure enough, he was waiting for them inside, holding a priceless piece of art like it was nothing more than a poster.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," said Red X, casually, as he balanced the painting on his hand.

"Please, do not harm the painting!" said Starfire.

"That's the last thing I'd want to do," said Red X. "Do you have any idea how much one of these things'll go for?"

"No and we don't need to know," said Robin. "Now hand it over!"

"Sorry, kid, but this is just the first on my list," said Red X. And with that he put the painting under his arm and made a run for it.

"Titans go!" ordered Robin and they each sprang into action.

Red X ran down the long corridor of the museum, looking back once or twice to see if the Titans were getting closer. Of course, they were. The person behind the mask smiled and picked up the pace. How predictable could the Titans be?

The Titans ran or flew as fast as they could after the villain. Suddenly he disappeared around a corner. The Titans made it to the corner but saw no sign of Red X. Just another very long corridor with exits to other corridors leading from it.

"Split up," said Robin. "Find him." They each took a different corridor and looked high and low for the thief.

Raven was appreciative of her new talent; stealth. She silently glided down the corridor, past dozens of prized portraits and sculptures. She listened carefully for the sound of footsteps or of something moving. But she heard nothing. Nothing but the sound of her own breathing.

Suddenly someone dropped from above her and before she could react, landed right on top of her. She was pinned on her stomach on the floor, a familiar figure keeping her down.

"I'd cover your mouth so you couldn't scream," said Red X. "But I know how pointless that would be."

Ravens eyes glowed black and she sent her powers at Red X. Oddly, they reflected right off of him. He gave a slight chuckle. She tried again, but ended up with the same result. Her powers weren't affecting him.

"Go ahead, keep trying," he mused. "You'll just tire yourself out."

She decided that if her powers didn't work then she'd have to use her physical abilities. She wriggled about and did all she could to get him off of her. He just held her down tighter; to the point where she could barely breathe.

"Raven?" a voice echoed through the corridor.

Raven then remembered. She pursed her lips and whistled as loud as she could. Red X hadn't counted on that. He had to end this. Raven whistled on and on and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed louder and louder. Red X balled up his fist and punched Raven in the back of the head, knocking her out instantly.

Beast Boy had searched up and down his corridor and had found nothing. Then his sensitive ears picked up male talking, and it didn't sound like Robin or Cyborg. He followed it and heard it coming from the corridor Raven had taken. He had called her name and was answered with her distress whistled. He sprinted back down his corridor and then turned down Ravens.

Just as he did he saw Red X vanish and leave Raven lying on the ground. "Raven!" he yelled and ran to her. He found her on her stomach, her cloak flipped over her head so that her back showed. He then saw something rather curious. A large piece of the backside of her leotard had been ripped away, exposing the pale skin of her back. He saw neither wound nor scratch, so he flipped her cloak back over.

Raven winced a bit as Beast Boy gently turned her over and held her in his arms. "Raven? Raven, wake up," he said, trying to awaken her.

She slowly opened her eyes, though they seemed to be spinning. Her vision was unfocused and she could make little out. Except for a green figure holding her. Her head ached terribly and her back tingled.

"You okay?" he asked.

She tried to get her eyes to stop crossing and wanting to fade away again. She shook her head and held it painfully.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

She rubbed the back of her head tenderly.

"Your head? Was that it?" he asked.

She thought and to the best of her knowledge that was it. She nodded and tried to sit up. He slowly helped her and supported her so she wouldn't fold back to the floor. He whipped his communicator out and dialed in Robin.

"Beast Boy, have you found Red X?" asked the team's leader.

"No, but he attacked Raven," said Beast Boy. "He knocked her out and fled."

"Is she alright?" asked Robin, concerned.

"She's awake and doing okay," said Beast Boy. "But she's still dizzy."

"Alright, you stay with her and we'll keep looking," said Robin.

"Gotcha," said Beast Boy and he signed off. "Don't worry, Rae, he's not gonna hurt you again. Why don't we head for the exit?"

She nodded and slowly the two headed off. Raven still felt a bit lightheaded and once or twice felt her knees go weak on her. Beast Boy was careful to keep a good hold on her so she wouldn't fall to the ground. He could tell that she was in pain for she kept wanting to hold her head.

"Don't worry, as soon as we get home I'll get you an aspirin for you head," he said softly, as to not upset her headache.

Just as they made it to the doors of the museum their three other teammates arrived. And no Red X.

"I believe he has gotten away," said Starfire.

"Again," added Cyborg.

"Well, we found the painting," said Robin. "Looks like he just dropped it and ran."

"He left it behind? Why would he do that?" asked Beast Boy.

"I don't know," said Robin. "But the point is the painting's safe and our job's done for now. Raven, you okay?"

She slowly nodded and rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head.

"Well, let's go home then," said Robin. "The police are on their way to guard the museum for the rest of the day and night."

"Man, this was a waste of time," grumbled Cyborg. "That Red X is a thief all right, a thief of our free time!"

The others rolled their eyes and left for the T-car. From the roof of the museum a figure watched as they left, smirking to them selves. The Titans had no idea how easy they were to manipulate or fool.


	13. Save the Angel, Save the World

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 13

Beast Boy gave one final stretch and kicked his shoes off. He always felt tired after any mission, whether there was a large battle or not. Just the adrenaline alone wiped him out. And the site of Raven unconscious on the ground nearly gave him a heart attack. But, no matter the reason, he was tired and ready for bed.

"Hello my dear," a voice hissed through his room.

Beast Boy's eyes went wide and he quickly whipped around, looking for where the voice had come from. Then, from a dark corner of his room, Red X stepped out from the shadows. Beast Boy was even more confused now. But all came together as he watched Red X melt away into a blond girl with her green eyes set upon him.

She chuckled and said, "Well, that was a fun afternoon we had, wasn't it."

"You were pretending to be Red X?" he asked. "Why?"

"To get what I want, what else?" she said in a chipper voice.

"And why did you want a painting?" asked Beast Boy. "You left it behind!"

Adrienne stared at him for a moment, the slapped her hand over her eyes. "You really are dull," she sighed. "Obviously I wasn't after the painting!"

"Then tell me what's going on!" said Beast Boy angrily.

"I'm going to give you one last chance to choose," said Adrienne. "Then I'm going to make you. Come with me and be mine."

"No!" he shouted at her.

She smirked and said, "Fine. But if you don't, I will literally turn your world into Hell."

"Yeah, right," Beast Boy scoffed. "Whatcha gonna do? Keep popping up and whining at me like a spoiled brat?"

"No, I'm going to turn Raven into the portal again, bringing Trigon to Earth so that he can turn it into hell," said Adrienne, matter-of-factly. "That's what I'm going to do."

"What are you talking about?" he snarled angrily. "You can't do that. Raven got rid of Trigon!"

"She banished him from Earth," said Adrienne. "But she is still his daughter and being as such she can still become the portal, if the right spell was performed."

"So, you're gonna do some spell and bring Trigon here?" he asked. "Well, I can tell you right now that I'm not gonna let you get that far!" And with that he charged at her.

"Uh uh ah," she said, dodging out of the way. "The spell is near completion already. See?" She held her right hand out and on her middle finger and thumb was red writing that Beast Boy recognized. He had seen it everywhere just before Trigon had come the first time. "All I have to do is snap my fingers and Raven will be the portal. And you remember what happened the last time she became the portal right? Death."

Beast Boy was starting to realize that this was serious. But, then again, this could all be a trick just to get him to go with her. She was very manipulative that way.

"I don't believe you," he said, firmly. "You're not gonna fool me that easily."

"You don't believe me?" she asked. "Fine. Go see Raven. I've placed the mark of Scath upon her back. When I snap my fingers the mark shall trigger the portal, annihilating her as it breaks through."

Beast Boy then remembered Ravens bare back, back at the museum. He had seen nothing on her, so he thought she was fine. Could it be that Adrienne had implanted the mark? "But why didn't I see the mark before?" he asked, hotly.

"Because I've just nearly finished the spell," said Adrienne. "Now it is red like the markings on my hand. The mark shall be with her until the end of her time. Go see, if you don't believe me."

"Well I don't care if she does have that stupid mark," said Beast Boy. "I'm not going with you and you're not gonna kill Raven!"

"Try and stop me then!" said Adrienne angrily and placed her finger and thumb together. The writing upon them began to glow brightly. Beast Boy then knew that something was definitely going on.

"No, stop!" he ordered.

"This is all up to you, Beast Boy," said Adrienne. "Join me and let Raven and the world live or deny me and let it all go to Hell." She then slowly lowered her hand. "You have five minutes to make your decision. I'll be on the roof waiting. And if you think you're going to go off and tell your friends, just remember. I know all and see all and if you even attempt to warn them then I'll end her." She raised her hand once more and let the writing glow, just to prove to him that she was serious. Then she vanished.

Beast Boy let all of this register in his head for a moment. He had to see if this was all really real. He had to see if Raven had the mark. He quickly ran out of his room and went to hers. He didn't even bother to knock, he simply threw the door open.

Raven had been snuggled in her bed by this time, though she wasn't asleep, and was startled as Beast Boy burst in. He turned her light on, causing her to wince and her lingering headache to cry, and ran over to her. She looked at him with confusion and anger.

"Raven, I need to see your back," he said. She looked at him like he was insane. "Just, please, I need to see it," he said desperately.

She stared at him for a few seconds then slowly turned around, showing him her back. He flipped her cloak over her head, and stared at her back. She had put on a new leotard, so her skin was covered. He grabbed the cloth and ripped it so her back showed. By this point Raven was far beyond angry and confused.

"Oh God," was all Beast Boy could say. There, right in the middle of her back, lay the mark of Scath.

Raven flipped her cloak back over her head and turned to him, shooting him a death glare. She pushed him away as if to say, "What the heck's the matter with you?!"

Beast Boy lunged back at her and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh God, Raven, I'm so sorry," he cried, holding her tight.

She had never wanted to have her voice back more. She wanted to yell at him, ask him what was going on, and see why he was so upset. But she couldn't. She just silently waited for him to say something.

He finally released her and took her hands. He had to tell her. Even if he couldn't tell the others, he could at least tell her. She knew she couldn't slip and reveal to their friends what was happening. "Raven, I know why Adrienne came back," he said. Ravens eyes went wide. "She… she came back… for me. She wants me to help her conquer the universe or something and be her… boy toy." He shuddered and gagged on the words. "And she's not going to leave without me."

Raven took her hands from Beast Boy and grabbed him by the arms. She didn't want him to go. There was nothing Adrienne could do to take him away from her.

Beast Boy knew what she was thinking and bowed his head shamefully. "I told her I wasn't gonna go with her," he said. "I said I wasn't gonna be hers. But… but now I don't have a choice." He looked up, deep into her worried eyes. "Rae, she's… she's gonna kill you."

Raven gasped for a moment, but quickly shook it off. She held onto his arms tightly and shook her head firmly, "No".

"Yes, she is," he said. "She… she put the mark of… Scath on your back. And if I don't do what she says, then she's gonna make you the portal again so that you die and Trigon comes to Earth."

Ravens grip on his arms softened and finally released as she stared at him, shocked. She reached behind and felt her back. Alarmed, she jumped up and began twisting about, trying to see it. She flipped her cloak out of the way and looked into her vanity. Sure enough, she saw the mark, though it was backwards because of the reflection of the mirror. The shock of seeing it caused the mirror to shatter from her powers.

As soon as the mark made it to her sight she felt her knees go weak and she fell to them, hands clasped over her mouth. Beast Boy quickly got down next to her and wrapped his arms around her again. "I'm so sorry, Rae," he said, almost crying. "I'm so so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

It was then that Beast Boy realized the time. He had to go see Adrienne. He pulled Raven away and said, "I'll be right back, I promise." He then jumped up and ran out of the room, leaving Raven on the floor, still in shock.

Adrienne looked over the city, thinking about how fun it was going to be when it was all hers. She heard the roof door open and turned with a smile. Sure enough, there he was, out of breath and not looking too happy.

"You're right on time," she grinned. "Which is odd since you usually run late."

"Shut up," he said and walked over to her.

"My, aren't you in a way," she giggled. She then lifted her hand and pressed her finger and thumb together. "So? What'll it be, my dear? Does she live, or does she die?"

Beast Boy clenched his teeth tightly; it was his only form of restraint he had at this point. Finally, his shoulders and head fell forward and he said in a defeated tone, "She lives."

Adrienne smiled and lowered her hand. "So you agree to be mine?" she said in a playful tone.

"Agree? It's not like I have a choice!" he hissed.

"But I want to hear you say it," said Adrienne, getting closer to him with an evil, seductive look. "Say, 'I agree to be yours'. Come on, it's not that hard."

Beast Boy was shaking with anger. "I… I agree to be… yours," he said through his teeth.

"Good boy," she said, lifting his chin with her finger. "You made the right decision. Now let's go." She stepped back and was about to make a portal.

"Wait!" he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Can I at least grab a few things before you rip me away from my home and frie-family?" he asked.

Adrienne sighed and said, "Very well. You've got five more minutes."

Beast Boy nodded and quickly turned and ran back down into the tower. He went into his room and grabbed a couple things and shoved them into his pocket, including a picture. Once that was done he ran to Ravens room.

Raven was now sitting on her bed, holding her knees nervously. She jumped as her door opened, but relaxed when she saw that it was him. But she didn't like the look on his face. It was of doom.

He quickly went to her and took her hands. He could tell by her eyes alone that she wanted to know what was going on. "Rae, I've agreed to go with Adrienne," he said, watching as her face fell. "I've got to. It's the only way to keep you and the world safe… for now. But, Rae, you gotta promise me something, okay?" She bit her lip and nodded. "Promise me that no matter how I act the next time you see me you won't believe it. Promise me that no matter what I do you'll remember that Adrienne's making me do it. No matter what I say or who I hurt or what I break. Promise me that at least _you'll_ know that I'm being controlled and can't help what I'm doing. Promise me."

Raven had never heard him talk in such a way, with such urgency and fear. It scared her to see him this way. She slowly nodded and he hugged her tightly. She then got an idea and pulled away from him. She grabbed her communicator and held it up.

"No!" he practically shouted, startling her. "No, the others can't know. Adrienne said that if you guys find out what's going on she's gonna kill you. I can't take that risk. But I had to tell you and I think Adrienne knows that. If she didn't, you'd be gone by now. So you can never let them know what's going on."

Raven dropped the communicator and bowed her head. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her books became engulfed in her powers and were knocked off of her bookshelf. Beast Boy knew his time was running short. He softly lifted Ravens face and looked into her tear filling eyes.

"I've got to go now, Rae," he said, wanting to cry him self. He knew not when he'd be returning, or if he'd ever be returning. For all he knew, this would be the last time he would ever see her. "But, before I do, there's something I've got to do."

Raven was ready to mouth a, "What?" but she was cut off by Beast Boy gently leaning in and softly pressing his lips to hers. She gasped for a moment, but quickly leaned into it, having wanted to secretly do this for quite some time. Once he felt her become okay with it, he leaned in as well and gave her the kiss she deserved and the kiss he'd wanted to give her.

He never wanted to leave the moment, but he was on a time budget. He reluctantly pulled away and saw her open her eyes, the tears dripping down her cheeks. He softly cupped her cheek and said, "Bye Rae." And before she could object he pulled away from her and ran out of her room.

Beast Boy made it back onto the roof and saw Adrienne, who turned and smirked. "Ready?"

"Yes," he said lowly. She smiled and opened a portal, stepping through it. Beast Boy took in one last big breath then stepped through.


	14. To Be Continued

**AN: I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 14

It had to have been a nightmare. It couldn't have been real. Raven found herself thinking these thoughts as she awoke the next morning. Did she really cry herself to sleep last night? Had Beast Boy really kissed her and then left to work for Adrienne? Did she still hold the mark of Scath on her back?

She shakily got up from her bed and looked in her shattered mirror. From the broken reflection she could see dozens of backs with a red marking on each one. It had happened. This was all real. She quickly put another fresh leotard on and ran to Beast Boy's room. He wasn't there. He was gone.

Raven slowly made her way into the common room. She knew that her friends probably didn't suspect a thing yet. Beast Boy never got up before nine thirty. And she knew that when they found out they would panic. The thought of them growing as upset as she was made her want to cry. They were all so happy right now, so unsuspecting. Today was going to be a very horrible day.

She found Cyborg cooking while Starfire fed Silkie in a highchair and Robin was eating his already made breakfast. They all smiled and wished her a good morning as she entered. She couldn't find the strength or the will to smile. She just sauntered over to the couch and sat down.

"You okay, Raven?" asked Robin.

Raven made no movement. She didn't want to lie and say she was, but she didn't want them to know that she was upset. She just stayed perfectly still. This did not go unnoticed by her friends.

"Uh, how's your head?" asked Cyborg.

Again, Raven didn't move. The last thing she cared about was her head. Nothing hurt more than the aching of her heart. She realized that she shouldn't have left her room. Why did she come out here at all? Out of habit she supposed. Well, she couldn't take this any longer. She silently stood up and made her way for the door, all the while knowing her three friends were watching her.

She had just made it to the steps leading up to the doors when Starfire stepped in front of her. "Raven, are you not feeling well?" she asked.

Raven just looked to the floor, glad that her hood covered her face. Oh, how she wanted to tell them. How she wanted to get it over with. How she wanted all of this to be some horrible dream!

"Raven, what's wrong?" asked Robin, joining Starfire.

Just as Raven began to lift her head up the room began to flash red and the siren went off. Cyborg was right on it and went to the Titans main computer to find out what was going on.

"There's some kind of disturbance downtown," said Cyborg.

"But, it is only morning," said Starfire. "The bad guys do not usually do the attacking until lunchtime."

"Crime never rests, Star," Robin sighed. "Cyborg, do we know what type of a disturbance?"

"Uh… nope," said Cyborg, shrugging. "Just says a general disturbance."

"Then let's go," said Robin. Then he realized something. "Where's Beast Boy? He usually gets here right after the alarm goes off."

"Bet the grass stain's still in bed," Cyborg chuckled.

"Shall one of us awake him?" asked Starfire.

"Raven, you wanna go wake him up?" asked Robin.

Raven bit her lip and remained motionless. The other three knew that there was definitely wrong with her. What it was, they weren't sure.

"Fine," Cyborg sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'll get him." And with that he marched off towards Beast Boy's room. Raven closed her eyes and concentrated, doing her best to block out the sounds around her. She didn't want to see Cyborg's confused reaction when he returned. She didn't want them asking her if she knew anything. She didn't want any of this!

Sure enough, two minutes later, Cyborg returned. "Uh, he's not in his room," said Cyborg.

"Then where is he?" asked Starfire.

Robin groaned and said, "It doesn't matter, we've got to get downtown. I'll yell at him later." And with that they headed for the garage, Raven trailing behind, her gaze never leaving the floor.

They made it downtown and quickly piled out of the T-car. They saw a few buildings were banged up and there was one on fire. The smoke stung their eyes and made it a bit difficult to see. Suddenly there came a large blast and the whole side of a building came tumbling down. The Titans took cover and waited for the smoke and dust to clear.

And as it all settled a figure emerged, walking towards them. They waved the smoke and dust away to see who it was. And who they saw shocked all but one of them. Beast Boy stood there, fists clenched, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Beast Boy?" said Starfire, confused.

"Yo, man, what're ya doin!" said Cyborg.

Beast Boy only smiled and whipped his communicator out of his belt. "Hey Robin," he called out and flung the communicator, letting it land at his former leader's feet. "I quit."

Those two words cut deep into Raven, but she kept telling herself that Beast Boy was being forced to say this and do these things.

"I've found a much more satisfying profession," he said, crossing his arms.

"Beast Boy, what's all of this about?" demanded Robin. "Look at the damage you've caused!"

"Oh, this is only the beginning," Beast Boy chuckled. "You just wait and see what we do."

"We?" asked Starfire.

"Oh, I didn't mention?" he said, evilly. He then put his pinkies in his mouth and gave a sharp whistle.

From the sky a figure slowly descended down, her smile outdoing even Beast Boy's. "Hello Titans," said Adrienne, touching down. "Hello Raven."

Tears immediately came to Ravens eyes upon hearing her voice again. But she knew better than to show Adrienne how upset she really made her. She just stared through the tears and focused her attention on Beast Boy.

"You're working with her?!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"Beast Boy, you must not trust her!" said Starfire. "She is evil!"

"Yeah, and so am I," said Beast Boy immediately turning into a T-rex and charging the Titans.

"Titans go!" ordered Robin and they attacked.

Beast Boy whipped around and whacked Cyborg out of the way with his tail, but this allowed Robin time to shoot a bird-a-rang with a line attached around his legs, attempting to trip him. Beast Boy tumbled to the ground, but quickly turned into a snake and slithered out of the rope. Once he was free he turned into a lion and pounced on Robin, pinning him to the ground.

Starfire threw starbolts at Adrienne who gracefully flew out of the way, then sent an energy blast back. Starfire was hit and sent right through a building as if it was nothing. She fell to the ground on the other side, where she stayed down. Raven quickly went to her aid to see if she was okay. She'd been knocked out cold.

She then heard something snickering behind her. She slowly turned and saw Adrienne, who smirked and flew at her.

Cyborg punched Beast Boy, who was now in a raptor form, and sent him stumbling backwards. "Come on, B, we know this isn't you," said Cyborg. "You're not evil!"

Beast Boy turned back to himself and smirked. "Wanna bet?" he laughed and turned into a bear, tackling Cyborg. As he did, Robin jumped on his back and did the same to Beast Boy. The three boys were in one large headlock, stumbling about until finally they crashed into a building. The three were sent through a store shop window and their scuffle continued inside.

Adrienne came closer and closer to Raven. "Oh, are you upset?" she teased. "I know, it's not fair. You're little boyfriend doesn't like you anymore. Which is why he's mine."

Raven clenched her teeth and stared at Adrienne with pure hatred. Her eyes turned black and she picked up a lamp post, throwing it at Adrienne and attempting to bend it around her like a restraint. Adrienne used her own powers to toss the lamp post flying away and skewering another building.

Adrienne then pushed all of her energy at Raven, wrapping it around her so that she could not move. She slammed her to the ground and kept her pinned there. Adrienne smiled and flew over to her. Raven struggled to get free, but couldn't.

"It really is a shame, you know," said Adrienne, kneeling down next to the pinned down Raven. "You and I have such similar tastes. Perhaps, in another time, we could've been friends. But, alas, we're not. So, goodbye… for now." And with that, Adrienne placed a hand on Ravens head and she immediately fell unconscious.

Adrienne stood up and felt quite proud. She looked up to see where Beast Boy was. He slowly emerged from the building he and the other two young men had fallen into. He had a few scratches and was covered with dust. He coughed a few times and brushed himself off.

"Did you defeat them?" she asked.

"They're down for the count, if that's what you mean," he said, bitterly.

"Uh ah, you have to be a little more cheerful when delivering news like that," said Adrienne.

"Oh, yeah, let me jump and skip about it," he said sarcastically.

Adrienne sighed and said, "We really do have a lot of work to do." Then, behind Beast Boy, she saw movement. "Beast Boy, behind you!"

Beast Boy turned just in time for a bird-a-rang to hit his face. One of the points slid across his face, cutting it deeply diagonally from the bottom of his right cheek, across his nose, just missing his eye, and finishing up a half inch above his left eyebrow. Beast Boy yelped and held his injured face. Robin stood behind him, leaning up against a wall of the building, looking badly beaten up.

Adrienne frowned and lifted her hand. She grasped Robin's mind and knocked him unconscious, just as she had to Raven. He gave a small groan and fell to the ground. She quickly went to Beast Boy, who was in pain. She gently took his hands away and looked at the wound. A scar was sure to be left behind.

She frowned and said, "We're done here. They got the message."

"What about my face?!" said Beast Boy, blood dripping down his face.

"I'll take care of it once we get out of here," she said. She then opened a portal, grabbed him, and stepped through. It closed behind him and the two were gone.

That evening the battered up Titans sat in the common room, going over what had happened over and over in their minds. All but one. Raven was in her room, lying on her bed; mourning. She knew that this was going to be a horrible day. She sat away from the others. She couldn't get the image of the 'evil' Beast Boy out of her mind. Not because of how malicious his grin looked, but how sorry and sad his eyes had looked. She knew the others hadn't seen it, but she had. With every blow he delivered he had apologized.

"Beast Boy… he is… bad now?" asked Starfire.

"Looks it," said Cyborg.

"Why would he join Adrienne?" asked Robin, as he paced back and forth. "After all she's done. After what she did to Raven! He decided to just give all of this up for a life of crime?"

"This… this can not be," said Starfire, feeling very confused. "Beast Boy is our friend, correct? He would never…"

"He did," said Cyborg, plain and simple. "He attacked us, with Adrienne's help."

"But what if she was forcing him?" asked Starfire. "Surely that must be it."

"Even when Slade was forcing me to attack you guys, I didn't try to leave you for dead or kill you," said Robin. "He tried to disassemble Cyborg and he went for my throat. My throat!"

"I am sorry, but I can not accept this!" said Starfire.

"It's not easy for any of us, Star," said Cyborg. "I can't even imagine how hard this must be for Raven."

Robin thought for a few moments then sighed. "Well, we can't jump to conclusions just yet," he said. "This is somewhat like what happened when I or Terra worked for Slade. Beast Boy deserves a second chance. I just hope he takes it."

Raven let the tears slowly drip down the side of her face as she lay. She was staring out of her window, taking in the beauty of the city at night. Millions of lights glistened and glittered like diamond necklaces had been laid upon the buildings. She closed her eyes and let more tears escape.

'Beast Boy, wherever you are, I hope you know that I will keep my promise,' she thought. 'No matter what.'

**To Be Continued…**

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**SEQUEL- Voiceless, She Cries: Part Two**


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